Septic isle - How one community got rid of a toxic dump

Toru Ishii remembers when the shredded car tyres, batteries and runoff the colour and consistency of treacle blighted the landscape on Teshima, his island home in Japan's inland sea.

- Justin McCurry

Those sights are now confined to a museum, as a reminder of how environmental destruction can unfold in plain sight, and how ordinary people can fight back.

For several years, almost a million tonnes of industrial waste were dumped illegally on Teshima's western tip, in the worst case of its kind in the country's history.

The ever-expanding mountain of rubbish earned Teshima the nickname "garbage island". Its residents wore masks when the waste was burned, sending plumes of acrid smoke into the air. Many complained of sore eyes, and some displayed symptoms associated with asthma. Fishing and agriculture suffered, as consumers avoided Teshima fruit and seafood.

Almost 30 years after residents began their campaign to fight the firm responsible and their politician enablers, the multibillion-yen operation to restore the island to its former state is nearing its end. Work has begun to remove steel panels that prevented toxic water from leaking into the sea, and by March next year officials are expected to sign off on the cleanup.

Today, Teshima is producing strawberries and olive oil, and is well known for its art museum, cycling-friendly roads and inclusion in the Setouchi Triennale art festival.