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Japan: One year after Fukushima nuclear disaster, 4 repercussions

The March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake was one of the world's worst earthquakes. It triggered a tsunami, flooding, landslides, fires, and a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

3. Garbage: tons removed, tons remain

Itsuo Inouye/AP
A stray cat lies on a road in front of the debris of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami on Tashirojima island, known as 'Cats island,' off Ishinomaki city, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, Friday, March 9, 2012, two day before the anniversary of the disaster.

  • By Jenna Fisher Staff writer

Tons of rubble created by the disaster: 22.6 - 25

Estimated tons removed one year later: 70 percent (estimated)

In the wake of the tsunami, mountains of trash were left behind, more trash than towns would normally dispose of in a century, the Monitor reported last year. Recycling it all is a daunting task. No country has ever faced such a mammoth recycling job. First step: clearing the rubbish from the streets to makeshift waste centers. Next step: recycling centers.

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