Disposal of earthquake rubble begins in Tokyo

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has begun work to bury rubble left behind by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

Tokyo began accepting large amounts of debris from Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, for disposal last Thursday. The rubble is being broken into pieces or incinerated at facilities in the city.

On Tuesday, ash was transferred from a local incinerator to a landfill site in Tokyo port, where it was buried using large construction equipment.

The metropolitan government said it plans to accept up to 500,000 tons of debris from Miyako and other disaster-hit areas by March 2014.

The head of the landfill assured residents that there is no cause for concern, as authorities are disposing of the ash only after conducting detailed radiation checks.

Tokyo is the first prefecture outside the quake-hit areas to offer help in disposing of the debris.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011 12:37 +0900 (JST)