Act on Waste Management and Public Cleaning (No. 137 of 1970).

The purpose of this Act is to conserve the living environment and enhance public health by controlling the discharge of waste and carrying out waste management such as proper sorting, storage, collection, transport, recycling, disposal, etc. of waste, and to keep the living environment clean.
Waste materials are classified as industrial and general household or municipal wastes.
The Minister of the Environment must establish basic policies for comprehensive and systematic promotion of the measures for reduction and proper management of waste by limiting the discharge, recycling, and utilizing etc. of them.
The Act sets out procedures for the collection, transportation and disposal of municipal solid waste according to the municipal solid waste management plan. A person who intends to conduct the collection or transport of municipal waste as a business, or intends to conduct the disposal of municipal waste as a business, must obtain the permission. Procedures for obtaining the permission are outlined in the Act.
In addition, the Act provides for the management of industrial waste and specially controlled industrial waste. Businesses generating industrial waste and not disposing of it on their own shall issue a control manifest of industrial waste to the party commissioned to transport the waste indicating the kind of waste, the quantity, etc. An industrial waste or specially controlled industrial waste management collection and transportation business, and industrial waste disposal facilities shall perform their activities only after obtaining permission as specified in the Act.
The Act further provides for: recycling of industrial and municipal waste; export and import of municipal and industrial waste; designation of waste management centres; restrictions on the disposal of waste; offences and penalties; etc.