Trash and Recycling Where I Live

Japan has specific rules about what to do with trash and things you no longer want. You can’t just put everything in a big black trash bag and throw it out. Each town/area has its own specific rules, but they are generally similar.

For combustible/burnable trash, I buy these clear 20 liter bags at the grocery store. There are bigger bags available for families or people who have more burnable trash. The bags are not stretchable and feel more like paper than plastic. They are clear, so if you try to throw away cans or glass or other non-burnables, the trash collectors put a big yellow sticker on it with the reason checked for not picking up the trash bag.

 

In my neighborhood, trash is picked up on Mondays and Thursdays. I like to put my trash out every Monday so I can start the week with no trash, but there is no limit, as far as I know, as to how many bags a week you can put out. I think we are early on the pick up route, so trash has to be put out by 8:30 am. There are designated places in each neighborhood and sometimes crows peck the bags and make a mess.

There are recycling corners around town. This is the one closest to where I live, about a 10 minute walk.

The box above is for cardboard and I think it gets picked up every day or two, maybe due to Amazon delivery boxes.

This one is for non-newspaper, paper items including books and magazines. 

This one is for newspaper.

Aluminum cans go in this one.

View of one side of the recycle corner.

The box above is for old clothes.

Most grocery stores have a set up like this for all kinds of food packaging, like clear plastic boxes that prepared foods come in, styrofoam trays that fish and meat come on, milk cartons, aluminum cans, pet bottles, etc.

Vending machines for drinks in plastic bottles or cans are everywhere in Japan, and usually there is a place next to the machine for empty drink containers.

Once a month, there is a collection and pickup in each neighborhood for all kinds of glass (sorted by color), for aluminum and steel cans, for aerosol spray cans, for PET bottles, batteries and maybe other stuff. The collection place for me is at the entrance to the park behind my apartment, so I can look out my balcony door and see when to take my recycle out. It starts late afternoon and goes through mid morning the next day. I see all my neighbors there because everyone has stuff to take out.

If you have something big like a bicycle or a piece of furniture or some kind of appliance or electric gadget, you can call the city and they will pick it up. I’ve never done it, but I sometimes see stuff waiting to be picked up. The end of March/beginning of April is moving season in Japan, so there is usually a lot of stuff sitting out waiting for pickup then.

Japan is very clean and organized. The trash and recycle system is one reason.