How to Sort Garbage in Japan: A Foreigner's Guide to the Rules

Quick answer (30 seconds): Japan separates trash into a few main streams — burnable (可燃), non-burnable (不燃), recyclables (資源: PET bottles, cans, glass, paper, plastic), and oversized "sodai gomi" (粗大, sodai gomi) — and you put each out on its own collection day. The catch: the exact categories, bags, and days are set by your city/ward, not nationally, so two neighbors in different cities can have different rules. Many areas require designated bags (指定袋); oversized items need a paid sticker and an appointment. The fastest way to get it right: find your own municipality's guide (often in English) and the chart posted at your building's garbage point.

The main categories

Most municipalities use some version of these:

• Burnable / combustible (可燃, kanen gomi): food scraps, dirty/greasy paper, small wood, used tissues. (Some cities burn plastic too — check locally.)
• Non-burnable (不燃, funen gomi): small metal, glass, ceramics, small appliances, umbrellas.
• Recyclables (資源, shigen gomi): PET bottles (cap & label off, rinsed), cans, glass bottles, paper/cardboard, and plastic packaging (pura) — rinse off food first.
• Oversized (粗大, sodai gomi): furniture, futons, bicycles, anything roughly over 30 cm — paid, by appointment (see below).
• Hazardous (有害, yugai gomi): batteries, lighters, spray cans, light bulbs — often a separate day. Batteries and spray cans are fire hazards — never mix them into burnable.

The rules that trip people up

• Designated bags (指定袋): many cities require you to buy specific clear/colored bags from supermarkets or convenience stores. Using the wrong bag = your trash won't be collected.
• Rinse recyclables: bottles, cans, and trays must be or they're treated as burnable.