Eighty-six percent of surveyed municipalities are reluctant to store or dispose of disaster debris from Iwate and Miyagi prefectures in part because it may be tainted with fallout from the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
The survey, conducted by Kyodo News in February, covered the nation’s 1,742 municipalities and 47 prefectural governments.
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As for specific obstacles to accepting debris, 53 percent of responding governments said they have no disposal facilities, 41 percent cited fears of radioactive contamination, 24 percent pointed to distance and transportation difficulties, and 20 percent cited local opposition related to radiation.
The Environment Ministry estimates that 20.45 million tons of waste were generated in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures alone, but that only about 1.17 million tons, or 6 percent, had been disposed of as of Feb. 27.
Continue reading at 86% of municipalities leery of taking debris
