Japanese
July 26: Association for Electric Home Appliances re-designs its
permanent exhibition booth in ATC, Osaka, into a new
“Home Appliance Recycling Studio”!
On July 26, 2023, the Association for Electric Home Appliances opened “Home Appliance Recycling Studio” in Osaka ATC Green Eco Plaza, re-designing Japan’s first* permanent exhibition booth dedicated to home appliance recycling with a larger space and scale.
Each phase of “using,” “returning,” and “utilizing” home appliances is re-created in the studio, including a hands-on experience using a “dismantling simulator” which was newly added to the exhibition to help visitors become more familiar with home appliance recycling.
*Based on research by the Association for Electric Home Appliances. As of July 2022, this exhibition booth (by the Association for Electric Home Appliances) which opened in August 2022 in Osaka is the first general facility other than recycling plants and municipal recycling centers in Japan that offers a permanent exhibition dedicated to home appliance recycling (for the 4 specified appliances). The second facility of such kind in Japan was opened in June 2023 in Tokyo.
Details of the re-design
The exhibition has been re-designed to offer visitors a closer image of how home appliances are recycled, through hands-on experiences in line with recycling-related topics of “using,” “returning,” and “utilizing” home appliances. By looking at cross sections of actual appliances and watching videos, visitors can “experience” how they can “return” and “utilize” home appliances (air conditioners, TVs, refrigerators/freezers, and washing machines/clothes dryers) that they have “used” in their daily lives and are no longer usable. In addition, a dismantling simulator was newly introduced to the exhibition, allowing visitors to experience dismantling and sorting air conditioner outdoor units, using a remote controller and operating robot arms. A “sorting experience” is also available for visitors to sort iron, copper, aluminum, and plastics using a magnetic/nonferrous metal sorter demo unit. Through these game-like experiences, visitors can enjoy learning how returned materials are reborn into new home appliances etc.
Purpose of the re-design
The exhibition booth was re-designed to recreate each phase of “using,” “returning,” and “utilizing” home appliances in the Home Appliance Recycling Studio and offer a fun learning opportunity for children, the future players of a recycling-oriented society, through “hands-on experiences” of the flow of recycling.
Know the four home appliances subject to recycling
Visitors can learn about the four home appliances subject to recycling (air conditioners, TVs, refrigerators/freezers, and washing machines/clothes dryers) through a video showing scenes of these appliances being used in everyday life.
Learn about efforts and initiatives by home appliance recycling plants
Visitors can learn through game-like features, such as: “visually experience” how the four home appliances are dismantled and sorted by watching a video shown on a large-screen monitor, “experience dismantling and sorting” an air conditioner outdoor unit by using a remote controller and operating a dismantling simulator robot arm, and “experience sorting materials” with a sorter demo unit.
Visitors after the opening of the Home Appliance Recycling Studio
Exhibition image of “Home Appliance Recycling Studio”
Home Appliance Recycling Studio
Facility outline
ATC (venue of the permanent exhibition)
- Address:
2-1-10 Nankokita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka - Access:
Direct access from “Trade Center-mae” station,
Osaka Metro Nanko Port Town Line (New Tram)
- 11th floor, Osaka ATC Green Eco PlazaThe first permanent exhibition hall of its kind in Japan, established with the purpose of widely communicating to the general public the latest information from companies/organizations engaged with environmental businesses and management.
