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Please help me to understand garbage rules 2017/7/5 13:29
Can someone please help me clarify garbage rules? My house manager is a little uncooperative, I'm unable to reach him and he only speaks English when it suits him. A few questions:

1.
Empty bento packaging goes in the plastics, should these be cleaned first?

2.
Plastic wrappers, for example conbini onigiri, sandwiches, etc. Also plastic carrier bags from conbini, supermarket, etc. Goes in the plastics, correct?

3.
Good waste goes in the combustibles, but should this go loose in the bag, or should I wrap it in something (tissue paper)?

4.
PET bottles go with the PET bottles, obviously, but should I remove the cap and the label wrapped around it and if so where should these go?

5.
Any surefire way to take one look at something and know where it goes?

I know that if you've been living in Japan longer than a week these are probably stupid questions, but I love Japan and I've worked hard for a long time to get here so the last thing I want is to cause problems. Please help? Thank you.
by Tom (guest)  

Re: Please help me to understand garbage rules 2017/7/5 14:44
Tom,

For 5: Each city/prefecture has its own rules. Is there any way you can reach the city hall to get hold of the garbage disposal rules? They usually have (in a few different languages) the list of what goes where.

In the meantime, for 4, yes, the label for PET bottles are considered plastics. The cap goes to (where I live) collection boxes at city halls/supermarkets separately, if you find these. If not, plastics.
by ........ (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Please help me to understand garbage rules 2017/7/5 14:56
1.
Empty bento packaging goes in the plastics, should these be cleaned first?
answer; yes

2.
Plastic wrappers, for example conbini onigiri, sandwiches, etc. Also plastic carrier bags from conbini, supermarket, etc. Goes in the plastics, correct?
answer; yes but depending on the size. There is a limitation for size. In my case plastic objects larger than 80cm are not allowed and need to be arrange separately.

3.
Good waste goes in the combustibles, but should this go loose in the bag, or should I wrap it in something (tissue paper)?
answer; just throw away, don`t need any special action

4.
PET bottles go with the PET bottles, obviously, but should I remove the cap and the label wrapped around it and if so where should these go?
answer; plastic wrap goes to plastic, bottles need to be cleaned. Caps is also plastic, but you can also hand-in at clinics, supermarkets etc. They can receive money or other things.

5.
Any surefire way to take one look at something and know where it goes?
answer, ever city has it own rules. Often the city hall informs you or there is information on the website. Different languages are often available.
by justmyday rate this post as useful

Re: Please help me to understand garbage rules 2017/7/5 15:35
Like the first poster mentioned, you need to clarify where you live. For example, at Yokohama-shi where
I live, things are different from what justmyday writes.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Please help me to understand garbage rules 2017/7/6 09:49
It depends on the city, so either google it or ask city hall for more information.

When we moved into this apartment, we got a chart for sorting garbage and it looks like this:

日本語
http://www.city.hirakata.osaka.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000010/10757/kate...
英語
http://www.city.hirakata.osaka.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000010/10744/kate...

I know in some big cities, they ask you to sort every little thing, so depending on the city, you have to take apart all the things from the PET bottles for example. In my hometown Saga, they only have garbage and cans/glasses, so my grandma puts all the plastic in the garbage. Maybe they're burning it all, or they're sorting it for us. But it totally depends on where you live, so make sure you ask :)
by arcia rate this post as useful

Re: Please help me to understand garbage rules 2017/7/7 07:26
Go to the web site of your local city/area. They are all different. I have a 14-day recycling cycle, but mostly it is glass/plastic/combustibles/non-combustibles/cans/pet bottles/cardboard/advertising flyers (because the shiny paper is different)/garden waste. I also have over-size, used clothes and a couple of other categories I forget. And then there is special collection for things like electronic waste (a separate phone call for collection). 95% I just sort into plastic/burnable/glass/cans/paper.
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

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