The Ecocap Movement is a non-profit organization (NPO) based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was established in 2007 to promote the three themes of resource recycling, reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and providing vaccines to children in developing countries, through collection and sale of plastic bottle caps and donation of the sales profits for children's vaccines.
The Ecocap Movement activities originated from the idea of some high school girls in Kanagawa Prefecture. "Throwing away used plastic bottle caps is mottainai (such a waste)! Maybe we can put them to some good use if we collect them." It opened up the way for collecting used caps.
Then the system came up for selling caps to recyclers and donating the profits from the sales so that they could be used to fund vaccine procurement. Thus a new movement arose.
Used bottle caps collected by groups such as schools, local community associations, and companies are brought to designated organizations. The Ecocap Movement office receives the caps when a certain amount has been accumulated, and sells them to recyclers. The money is donated to the Japan Committee for Vaccines for the World's Children (JCV). 800 caps earn 20 yen, which covers, for example, the polio vaccination of one child.
Today a massive amount of plastic bottles are used in Japan. Their caps are made of a different material from that for the bottles to take advantage of the fact that plastics of different hardness fit tight with one another. Therefore, caps and bottles cannot be recycled together. Plastic caps mixed with other trash generate CO2 emissions in incineration plants or cause soil contamination in landfill projects. In contrast, when collected separately from other trash, they can be recycled and reused in such products as concrete panels, ballpoint pens, and chopsticks.
By July 1, 2009, 589 million caps were collected. This activity in which anyone of any age can take part at the grassroots level under the common themes of the environment, material conservation, and welfare is expected to expand widely throughout Japan.
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| Collect bottle caps |
Recycling | Ecocap Movement |
Donating Groups |
Developing Countries |
Ecocap Movement
3-63,Hgoromo-cho,Naka-ku,Yokohama,Kanagawa,231-0047,JAPAN