The Environment Ministry has classified 2.9 tons of sludge from Kanagawa Prefecture as radioactive waste derived from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the first such designation for the prefecture on the southern border of Tokyo.
The designation, made in December, means the ministry is responsible for disposing of the radioactive sludge.
The ministry on Jan. 31 stopped short of disclosing the origins of the waste, but Yokohama city government officials said the designation covers sludge from rain collection and storage facilities at 17 municipal elementary, junior high and other schools.
The city applied for the designation of the sludge as radioactive waste in September.
The designation also included sludge collected from roadside ditches and elsewhere, for which the city had filed similar applications, the city government officials added.
Waste containing more than 8,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium, spewed from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, per kilogram is eligible for the designation.
A total of 140,000 tons had been designated by the end of 2013 from Tokyo and 11 prefectures, including Kanagawa.
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