Used Vehicle Lashing Belts being Recycled into Solid Fuel

NYK Line, NYK Trading Corporation, Azbil Yamatake Friendly and Kayama Kogyo have begun recycling vehicle lashing belts that have passed their expiration dates for use on NYK-operated car carriers.

Azbil Yamatake Friendly collects the belts and separates the metal parts from the plastic lashing of the belts. Kayama Kogyo is then producing refuse-derived paper and plastics densified fuel (RPF fuel) from the plastic belts. Kayama Kogyo is using renewable energy sources for all electricity used in fuel production.

Approximately 200,000 lashing belts are disposed of annually in the entire NYK-operated car carrier fleet. If all those belts are recycled, they can be converted into approximately 20 tons of RPF fuel.

When recycling started on April 6, about 27,000 used lashing belts were collected from the car carrier Sagittarius Leader at the port of Nagoya.

The initiative incorporates a process that welcomes diverse human resources. Employees with intellectual disabilities separate the metal and belts at Azbil Yamatake Friendly, and foreign technical interns are involved in RPF fuel production at Kayama Kogyo. To create a place where everyone can work with peace of mind, NYK has developed specialized cutting machines, promoted smooth communication through Japanese language education, and expanded prior training on work content.