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GARBAGE and RECYCLING SYSTEM
Garbage
If there is one thing guaranteed to induce an argument with your neighbours, it is your inability to adhere to the garbage system. Garbage disposal is taken very seriously here and you have to respect that. Although the rules can be difficult to follow at first, it is an excellent system.
All garbage is divided into burnable: food, paper, etc., which is collected two or three times a week; and non-burnable but not 'bulky': plastic, glass, metal, etc., which is collected once a week. If you mix your garbage, then your neighbours might return the bag to your doorstep for you to sort through.
Garbage must be put out before 8:00 a.m. and some neighbours go berserk if you put it out the night before. It’s best to watch what your neighbours do in order to determine how strict your neighbourhood is about putting garbage out the night before. Also look out for special days when bottles, cans, and paper (including newspapers) are collected separately. Don't put anything out on a non-garbage day—leave it to rot in your kitchen rather than put it out on a non-garbage day.
You must put garbage out in special bags you can buy in convenience stores or in a large plastic bin with the lid removed. You must bring in the bin immediately after the garbage has been collected, so, unless you want to spend four hours waiting for the garbage to be removed, use the bags.
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Bulky items such as furniture, bicycles, and electric
appliances are collected twice a month for a fee and
you must first contact your local Bulky Items Reception
Centre (yes, that's its real name, check your ward
office handbook).
Recycling
As Japanese people tend to replace items quicker than
we are used to, you can often see perfectly good televisions,
stereos, or furniture outside houses waiting for the
Bulky Items collection people the next day. Despite
it being illegal, many foreigners take advantage of
this and furnish their homes with such items, either
for environmental or economical reasons. Just be discreet
when you’re rummaging through garbage outside other
people’s homes.
There are many second-hand and recycling shops throughout
Japan, especially in certain areas of Tokyo. They
have become increasingly popular with younger Japanese.
Information
taken from the book "Being A Broad in Japan"
written by Caroline Pover and published
by Alexandra
Press.
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