Japan has just enacted the most comprehensive appliance recycling law in Asia. Three hundred million appliances are now in use in the country, and about 18 million appliances get tossed each year. Starting this month, consumers must pay to have, say, a refrigerator or a washing machine recycled. Previously, it cost nothing to send an appliance to the dump, and some consumers are frustrated that they are now being hit with the disposal fees, which range from $35 to $60 a pop. As a result, local governments are preparing for a wave of illegal dumping.
