An Industrial Shredder For Every Need

How does a waste disposal company grow into an environmental solutions company?

Ask the folks at Kayama Kogyo, a Japan based industrial waste processor who has spent their 73 years of operation constantly learning, improving, and innovating in a changing world.

In 1951, Isao Kayama witnessed the incredible amount of trash generated by Japan’s postwar industrial boom. Concerned by a lack of infrastructure to handle the growing waste, Isao Kayama saw an opportunity to make an impact and founded Kayama Kogyo.  

Today, Junichiro Kayama, Isao Kayama’s grandson, is continuing his grandfather’s mission of ensuring a prosperous future through proper waste disposal. Kayama acknowledges their responsibility to adapt to increasing environmental concerns.

“Incinerating and landfilling is no longer enough,” explains Junichiro Kayama, Kayama Kogyo’s CEO, “we need to recycle and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.”

At Kayama Kogyo’s facilities they process a wide range of materials from industrial and construction waste to copper wire and wood. Materials are sorted and processed to create sellable metals, paper chips, and Refuse Plastic and Paper Fuel (RPF). Remaining materials and other hazardous materials are ethically incinerated in-house. Currently 80% of incoming material is recycled.

“We are doing everything we can to make that figure 100%,” declares Junichiro Kayama.  

Outside of a shared dedication to innovation, SSI also provides Kayama with the ability to maintain production as waste materials change.  

“There are more and more materials that are hard to shred [and they] continue to increase,” reveals Junichiro Kayama, “after extensive research, we came to the conclusion that the SSI shredders were the best units for difficult material.”

Kayama Kogyo does more than just waste management. They are committed to protecting the environment. To prove this commitment, they began a beekeeping project at their incinerator facility. Bees are an indicator species, pollutants in the surrounding environment are detectible in their honey. To study the impact of their incinerator, Kayama has their honey tested for contaminants. To date, the honey continues to test free of any pollutants.

Images from Kayama’s Offices of their farm program.

Like the beekeeping project, Kayama Kogyo continues to employ diverse and creative strategies for raising environmental and recycling awareness.  

Their mascot, a dinosaur character named Torano san, appears on local television programs to educate children on how to reduce waste and the impacts of recycling.

Kayama also supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) speaking at businesses and universities on sustainable recycling practices.

Kayama Kogyo wants to use their expertise to assist countries that are still developing their waste disposal infrastructure. In Laos, Kayama Kogyo has partnered with local companies in the effective and safe management of hazardous materials.  

As Kayama looks towards the future, they see their role as teachers and innovators, using their 73 years of experience to accelerate the development of a more sustainable world.