Waste Paper Recycle Week in Japan

Waste Paper Recycle Week 古紙リサイクル週間 takes place during the second week of October in Japan. In 2026 that is from October 4th to 10th.  Established by the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry, now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the campaign aims to promote the use of recovered paper and encourage greater public participation in paper recycling.

As a promotional educational week, it does not change the local garbage collection schedule. But during this week a variety of awareness activities are held. Examples include recycled paper fairs, paper recycling workshops and factory tours. They are designed to help people better understand the recycling process.

Paper recycling has a particularly long history in Japan. According to the campaign's background information, the country has more than a thousand years of experience reusing and recycling paper, with practices dating back to the Heian period. Today, recycling waste paper remains an important part of building a sustainable society.