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From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow

Shinano Mainichi

Nagano says Olympic garbage can be controlled

By the time the Nagano Olympic Winter Games wind up Feb. 22, memories will not be the only thing left in this central Japan city.

Nagano municipal officials say they expect 1,000 tons of garbage will be discarded by the 3,000 athletes and officials, 8,000 media people and 1.2 million spectators expected during the 16-day sport extravaganza.

Ikuo Muramatsu, an official in charge of refuse management at the Nagano municipal government, says the extra garbage -- mostly combustible waste -- will not overload the city's garbage-handling capacity.

''We shouldn't have a problem as February is a month which usually has the least amount of waste throughout the year, and the Games are only held over a short period,'' he said.

Nagano, a midsize city with a population of 360,000, disposed of 6,800 tons of combustible garbage in February last year and the city should be able to handle an extra 4,000 tons, Muramatsu said.

(Kyodo News)

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Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun