Separation and Disposal of Garbage in Japan

You might have read about the elaborate waste sorting systems in Japan before, and they’re all true. The country has devised systems that sort envelopes from regular paper documents and even separate juice boxes from large cardboard boxes. We say “systems” in plural because the rules for sorting your trash varies from one place to another. The Japanese culture of sorting trash might surprise anyone who may be more accustomed to a biodegradable and non-biodegradable system. Japan takes this further by separating trash according to its burnable and recyclable qualities. For anyone who may have found it hard to keep up with just only 2 waste categories, they’ll be in for a treat with the recycling system of Japan. If you’re about to live in Japan as a foreigner, keep reading to alleviate any doubts you may have about sorting your trash!

Japan takes recycling and garbage separation very seriously and it can be one of the most daunting and confusing things for a newcomer. In this guide, we’ll do our best to help you make sense of it!The specific rules of garbage separation depend on where you live. It’s either decided by the city, or by the individual ward if you live in a large city. Most cities have an English website where they give the specific rules and you may be given the information when you first register with the local government.Anyone who has lived in Japan for an extended period of time can attest to this – taking out the trash is a complicated process, to say the least. With so many rules and classification, learning how to sort your garbage can be intimidating for the newly initiated. But we’re here to demystify the process – read on for our basic guide to garbage disposal in Japan.

Collection days and the rules for separation of trash by type will vary depending on the area in which you live. For detailed information, please ask your landlord, neighbors or the City/Ward office, and follow the rules when disposing of trash. For example, Kyoto city requires that "household refuse" (garbage/plastic items/paper items) and "recyclable refuse" (aluminum cans/glass bottles/PET bottles) put out for collection be placed in specially designated bags. These bags can be purchased at convenience stores and supermarkets in Kyoto City. To dispose of large items such as furniture or bedding (for a fee), please contact the Kyoto City Large Garbage Collection Center for collection at 0120-100-530 or 0570-000-247 for cell phones.please fel free to contact if you are new and confuse about trash schedule

When disposing of burnable waste, make sure you use a proper garbage bag.Designated garbage bags are not required across kyoto 23 wards. So a reasonably sturdy plastic bag (transparent or semi-transparent) is sufficient.Moreover, you can use plastic garbage bags of up to 45 liters. These are available at 100-yen shops and supermarkets. It's also possible to reuse a supermarket shopping bag.Areas outside of Tokyo's 23 wards, such as Chofu or Machida city, require designated garbage bags (see photo above). They are sold at large retailers and convenience stores. The price differs depending on size but generally ranges from 80 yen to 800 yen for a pack of ten.Recently, municipalities in the Kansai and Kyushu regions have adopted a policy of using designated garbage bags. Please be aware that your garbage will not be collected unless you use these bags.

Sorting Garbage

Typically, there are five garbage types that will need to be separated. We recommend you pick up or print out the charts for your ward that lists all the different groups and how to package them. In most wards, the groups are:

>Combustibles: food waste, old clothes, small quantities of yard waste, etc.

>Noncombustibles: plastic wrappers, Styrofoam, metal containers, ceramic, etc.

>Recyclables: plastic/glass bottles, metal cans, magazines, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, etc. PET Bottles

>Large items: TVs, air conditioners, other old appliances, furniture, etc.

(Generally speaking, anything that is more than 30 x 30 x 30 cm is considered a “large item”)

Preparing Garbage for Collection

1. Bags When preparing your garbage for collection, you should check with your local neighborhood/ward/district to determine which garbage bags must be used. You can probably also find these bags at your nearest convenience store or supermarket.

2. Packing rules There are lots of specific rules about how to package the different categories of garbage and these can vary by ward/district, but below are some basic rules of thumb.

Combustibles Put all of these together in a bag for combustibles. You should drain any kind of excess liquid. Noncombustibles

Put all of these together in a garbage bag specifically for noncombustibles. Items like a Styrofoam food container that have food residue on it should be rinsed or cleaned off before being put in the garbage bag. Recyclables

・Bottles/Cans - These should be rinsed out before putting them out.

・Paper - Paper should be sorted by type and bundled with a string before being put out.

・PET Bottles - You should check your ward’s garbage collection guide to confirm if your district collects PET bottles separately from other recyclables. Large items

How to Dispose of the Four Home Appliances like Air Conditioner, Television, Refrigerator, and Washing Machine in Japan? For a special group of four types of large electrical appliances, referred literally as four home appliances (家電4品目), you cannot simple dispose of it normally nor via the oversized garbage method. These are appliances that require specialists to dismantle and recycle. They are:

Air Conditioner Washing Machine/Dryer Refrigerator/Freezer Television.An important distinction here is that the above only applies to home appliances. Professional grade appliances like refrigerators used in a restaurant's kitchen, temperature regulator of rice, or ice cream freezers used in shops cannot be disposed of in this manner.

There are a few ways you can dispose of them:

Method 1: Get it taken away when you buy a new one When you buy a new refrigerator, reputable stores like Bic Camera or Yamada Denki, will usually offer to help dispose of your existing one as part of their service. I would advise you to take advantage of it.
Method 2: Dispose it yourself When my washing machine broke down, my brother-in-law gave me his unused one. In this case, I had to get rid of the broken one myself. Doing it yourself is probably the cheapest way to do so. This is how you do it:

Steps to follow:

Step 1: Identify the model of your appliance Basically, you need to take a photo of the specifications which can be found on a sticker behind the appliance. It will contain information like the manufacture name and voltage.
Step 2: Buy the recycle ticket Unlike the seal for oversized garbage, only one place sells the ticket; the post office.
Step 3: Bring it to a recycling center This part is the most tedious. I had to borrow a car and get help stuffing a broken washing machine into a small car and bring it down to a recycling center. To find the nearest recycling center, do a search for [your city] followed by “家電リサイクル券センター”. For example, if you live in Shibuya-ku, you would search for “渋谷区家電リサイクル券センター”.

Most Japanese would request a company to collect it for them, at an extra cost. The keyword to search here is “家電リサイクルショップ” which means “home appliances recycle shop”.

Guide to studying and leaving in Japan for Internation Student

Separation and Disposal of Garbage in Japan

Sorting Garbage

Typically, there are five garbage types that will need to be separated. We recommend you pick up or print out the charts for your ward that lists all the different groups and how to package them. In most wards, the groups are:

Preparing Garbage for Collection

Steps to follow: