The rules for disposing of garbage in Japan is one of the most complicated rules you face when you start living in Japan. However, this disposing rule is the most basic rules you have to remember first because not unusually, unknowing that rule causes trouble with neighbors.

It is common in the world that a garbage truck collects garbages in a designated place at a designated time zone but one thing different between Japan and other countries in terms of garbage collecting is that in Japan, when and what type of garbage should be put out at a collecting place are detailedly fixed and a garbage truck doesn’t pick up and leave garbage whose material is not correctly put out on the designated day.

If you don’t pick up garbage that you mistakingly put out on a wrong day, you may receive many complaints from neighbors because of its smell and scenery spoil. A residential community is a highly respectable society that exists rules to enjoy the benefit of each other. You should fall into step with other residents to make a good order by keeping rules.

How to sort garbage

Very confusingly, garbage sorting criteria are different depending on the municipality. So you need to check how you can sort garbage in a municipality where you move into. However, there is a basic concept of sorting garbage. Type of garbage can be sorted into 5 categories. If you remember the categories, you may not make a big mistake.

  • Burnable Garbage
  • Unburnable Garbage
  • Bottles, Cans, and PET Bottles
  • Used Paper
  • Oversized Garbage

Followings are garbage that corresponds to each category.

Burnable Garbage

  • Kitchen scraps (completely drained of liquid)
  • Paper that cannot be recycled (remove grime)
  • Styrofoam
  • Plastic food wrap and plastic shopping bags
  • Clothing
  • Leather items
  • Plastic items
  • Bamboo skewers (please wrap in paper)
  • Small amounts of branches and leaves/grass (please cut long branches down to 50 cm or less)
  • Rubber and plastic items (please cut long items down to 50 cm or less)
  • Videos, CDs, MDs, etc.
  • Used cooking oil (allow to harden before disposal)

Unburnable Garbage

  • Metal garbage (recyclable resources)
  • Small electrical appliances
  • Fluorescent lights, lightbulbs (place items in the paper containers)
  • Scissors, knives (wrap in thick paper and label these items “キケン” [kiken, dangerous])
  • Empty cans that contained medicines, oil, or paint
  • Aluminum foil
  • Dry-cell batteries
  • Empty bottles that contained medicine, oil or cosmetics
  • Glass, ceramic items and broken bottles (wrap in thick paper and label these items “キケン” [kiken, dangerous])
  • Umbrellas: If you can separate the frame from the cloth, dispose of the frame as metal garbage, and dispose of the cloth with other burnable garbage.
  • Lighters (Place items in a separate bag from other unburnable garbage.)
  • Spray cans and gas cassettes (Place items in a separate bag from other unburnable garbage.)

Bottles, Cans, and PET Bottles

Things you pay attention to

  • If you put out this type of garbage, you need to lightly rinse them out and place them directly in the container or net.
  • Dispose of the caps as burnable garbage or unburnable garbage, depending on the material they are made of.
  • Items that will not be collected: any that have leftover juice or garbage inside, that contained oil or chemicals, as well as any that are soiled.

A Container for bottles “Bin(瓶)”

  • Energy drinks
  • Beer bottle
  • Alcoholic beverage bottle
  • Dressing bottole
  • Jam bottle
  • Soy sauce bottle

A Container for cans “Kan(缶)”

  • Energy drinks
  • Beer and soft drinks cans
  • canned food
  • Tea leaf can
  • confections

PET bottle “PET bottle(ペットボトル)”

Bottles with the identifying mark

When you put out PET bottle, you deal with the following procedure.

  • Remove the cap and label
  • Rinse lightly
  • Crush it

Used Paper

When you put out used paper, you need to bundle with string. Do not bundle with adhesive tape.

  • Newspapers and fliers
  • Magazines, books
  • Cardboard
  • Miscellaneous paper

Items That Are Not Collected as Used Paper (dispose of with burnable garbage)

Adhesive tape, items made of a material other than paper (such as plastic film), paper cups, plastic coated paper, thermal paper/carbon paper, and paper that is dirty (with oil, etc.)

Unburnable Garbage

Items as large as or larger than a cube of 30 cm on all sides are considered oversized garbage. Please call in advance to arrange pickup.

  • Dresser
  • Stove
  • Microwave
  • Bed
  • Chair
  • Fan
  • Futon mat

Conclusion

These are the basic 5 categories by garbage material. What I want you to pay attention to is how you can sort garbage is really depending on the municipality. So, you have to check the rules for disposing of the garbage when you move into a municipality. Possibly, it might be totally different from the way to sort garbage, which I introduced this time.

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