How garbage works in Japan (without annoying your neighbours)

First: the rules are local

Every city, and sometimes every ward, sets its own sorting rules and collection days. What's burnable in one ward is plastic recycling in the next. So the first job is to get your area's calendar:

• Search for your ward or city name plus ゴミ 分別 (gomi bunbetsu, garbage sorting). Many have English pages and a sorting app.
• Ask at the ward office when you register your address. They usually hand you a calendar (ゴミカレンダー).
• Look at your building's collection point. There's often a sign with the days.

The usual categories

Putting it out

• Morning of the collection day, usually by 8 am. Not the night before (crows and cats), unless your building allows it.
• Use the right bag. Many cities require official bags (指定袋), sold in supermarkets and convenience stores. The price of the bag is the collection fee.
• Put it at your building's spot, not any spot on the street.
• Bags put out wrongly get a sticker (違反シール) and are left behind. Take it back, fix it, and try again on the right day.

Neighbour trouble over garbage is one of the most common complaints about new residents. Getting this right early buys a lot of goodwill.

Getting rid of big items (粗大ごみ, sodai gomi)

1. 1Book a collection with your city's oversized garbage centre (粗大ごみ受付センター), online or by phone. They tell you the fee and the date. Book early: waits of two weeks or more are common in March and April.
2. 2Buy oversized garbage stickers (粗大ごみ処理券) for that amount at a convenience store or supermarket.
3. 3Write your name or booking number on the sticker and stick it on the item.
4. 4Put it out on the morning of the collection day at the spot they gave you.

Some cities also let you take items to a drop-off site yourself for less.

The four appliances you can't put out

Air conditioners, TVs, fridges and freezers, washing machines and dryers fall under Japan's appliance recycling law (家電リサイクル法). The city won't collect them. Instead:

• Ask the shop where you bought it, or the shop where you're buying the new one, to take it back. They charge a recycling fee plus collection.
• Or pay the recycling fee at the post office (家電リサイクル券) and take it to a designated drop-off point yourself.
• Computers are handled by the manufacturer's PC recycling scheme. Look for the PCリサイクル mark.

Be careful with trucks driving around announcing free collection of old appliances. Many aren't licensed, and some charge a lot once your things are loaded.

Moving out? Start two weeks early

Oversized collections fill up fast in moving season, and leaving furniture behind can be charged to your deposit. Sell or give away what you can first (Jimoty, Mercari and local Facebook groups are popular), book collections for the rest, and plan appliances separately. Moving out of Japan.