How to Dispose of Large Items (Sodai Gomi) in Japan

Quick answer (30 seconds): In Japan you cannot just leave a sofa or desk at the curb. Large items count as oversized waste (粗大ごみ, sodai gomi), and the process is: book a pickup with your city in advance, buy a paid disposal sticker, attach it, and put the item out on the assigned morning. The big catch: TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and PCs are NOT sodai gomi — they follow separate national recycling laws with their own fees. And if you are moving or leaving Japan, selling or giving items away is usually faster and cheaper than paying disposal stickers on everything.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Garbage rules in Japan are set by each municipality and change. Always confirm the exact process, fees, and dates with your own city or ward office.

What counts as "sodai gomi"?

Oversized waste is anything too big for your normal garbage bags. The size cut-off is set locally, but a common rule is roughly 30 cm or more on the longest side (some cities use 50 cm, and a few treat metal items and other items differently). Typical sodai gomi includes:

• Furniture: sofas, beds, mattresses, desks, chairs, shelves, tables
• Bedding: futons, carpets, rugs
• Bicycles and baby strollers
• Microwaves, fans, heaters, vacuum cleaners, small kitchen appliances
• Suitcases, large mirrors, storage boxes

If an item fits in your designated burnable/non-burnable bag, it is not sodai gomi — just sort it normally. For that, see our companion guide on sorting everyday garbage.

Important exception: TVs, refrigerators/freezers, washing machines/dryers, air conditioners, and computers are handled separately (covered further down). Your city will refuse to collect them as sodai gomi.

The standard sodai gomi process (step by step)

The exact channel differs by city, but almost everywhere follows the same five steps.

1. Measure your item and apply in advance. Contact your city's oversized-waste reception center by website, app/chatbot, or phone. Online is usually 24/7; phone lines are Japanese-only in many areas and are often busy. Apply early — collection can take around 1–3 weeks from your application in many cities.
2. Get your reservation number and fee. When you book, you are told the fee for each item and a collection date. Fees depend on the item and city — typically somewhere in the ~¥200 to ~¥2,000+ range per item (a sofa or mattress costs more than a fan).
3. Buy the disposal stickers. Purchase oversized-waste disposal tickets (sodai gomi shori-ken) at convenience stores, supermarkets, or the ward office. They come in fixed denominations, so you combine stickers to match the quoted fee.
4. Fill in and attach the sticker. Write your name or reservation number (and often the collection date) on the sticker, then stick it somewhere clearly visible on the item.
5. Put it out on the assigned morning. Take it to the place specified when you booked (your usual garbage point or a building-designated spot) by the morning deadline — often 8 a.m. Do not put it out the night before.

One booking can usually cover several items. List everything when you apply so each piece gets its own sticker and fee.

Where to find your city's system

Because everything is local, do this first:

• Search "[your city or ward] oversized garbage English" or "[city] sodai gomi" — most municipalities publish an English page and an online booking form.
• Ask your landlord or building management for the building's garbage point and rules.
• Many cities have a garbage sorting app or chatbot that also handles bookings.

The four home appliances: a different law

Four appliance types are excluded from city garbage and governed by the Home Appliance Recycling Law (kaden recycle ho):

• Air conditioners
• Televisions (CRT, LCD, plasma, OLED)
• Refrigerators and freezers
• Washing machines and clothes dryers

For these you pay two charges: a recycling fee (set by the manufacturer) plus a collection/transport fee (set by whoever hauls it). Typical recycling-fee ranges, tax included (collection/transport extra):

Appliance	Recycling fee (typical range)
Air conditioner	¥550 – ¥9,900
TV (by type/size)	¥1,320 – ¥3,700
Refrigerator / freezer	¥3,740 – ¥6,149
Washing machine / dryer	¥2,530 – ¥3,300

Source: Home Appliance Recycling Ticket Center fee list — amounts vary by maker and model, so check the current list for your unit.

How to dispose of the four appliances:

• Buying a replacement? The shop that delivers the new one will usually take the old one. Easiest option.
• Ask the retailer you originally bought it from to collect it.
• Take it yourself to a designated collection site: buy a home-appliance recycling ticket at a post office, pay the recycling fee, and deliver the item.
• Use a collector your city recommends (many cities list approved operators).
• Questions? The Home Appliance Recycling Ticket Center hotline is 0120-319640 (Japanese).

Computers and small electronics

Computers follow the PC recycling system, run by makers — not your city:

• If your PC has a PC Recycle Mark (most sold since October 2003), recycling is free — apply to the manufacturer.
• No mark, or maker out of business / self-built? Apply to the PC3R Promotion Association (phone 03-5282-7685, pc3r.jp). Expect a fee of roughly ¥3,000–¥7,000 for unmarked units.
• Wipe your personal data first. Removing or destroying the drive is the safest step before handing over any device.

Small appliances (phones, cables, dryers, small kitchen gadgets, items roughly under 30 cm) can often go into small-appliance recycling collection boxes placed at city/ward offices, some supermarkets, and electronics or hardware stores. This is usually free and a tidy way to clear small electronics.

Disposing of large items when you move or leave Japan

Moving out — especially leaving Japan for good — means clearing a whole apartment fast, which gets expensive if you sticker every item. Cheaper and faster options first:

• Sell or give away usable items. Secondhand apps and flea-market platforms move furniture, appliances, and bicycles quickly; see our guide to selling on secondhand apps. Local "sayonara sales," community boards, and friends are great for last-minute handoffs.
• Ask your landlord or the next tenant whether they want any appliances or furniture left in place (get written permission — you cannot just abandon items).
• Book sodai-gomi pickups early. Slots fill near move-out season (March–April). If you wait, you may not get a date before your lease ends.
• Use the appliance/PC routes above for the four appliances and computers — these cannot go out as sodai gomi.
• Whole-apartment clearance services exist (often called unwanted-item or "fuyohin" pickup). They are convenient but priced per load, so get a written quote and confirm the company is properly licensed (see the warning below). For a full move-out timeline, see our moving in and out of Japan checklist.

Plan your largest items 2–4 weeks before move-out. Booking lead times plus sold-out pickup slots are the most common reason people get stuck with furniture they can't legally leave behind.

Avoid illegal "free pickup" collectors

You will see trucks with loudspeakers offering "free" collection, flyers in your mailbox, or pop-up collection points in vacant lots. Many are unlicensed. City and prefectural authorities warn that they often:

• Demand fees after loading your items, claiming extra "disposal" charges.
• Dump or improperly export the waste, or extract metals unsafely.
• Display fake or unrelated permit numbers that do not cover household waste.

A legitimate household-waste collector must be licensed by the municipality for that purpose. When in doubt, go through your city's official channel or a retailer, or a clearly licensed service with a written quote. "Free and no questions asked" is the red flag.

FAQ

Is sodai gomi the same in every city? No. The size threshold, fees, booking method, and collection days are all set locally. Always check your own city or ward's official guidance.

Can I just leave a sofa by the trash point? No. Putting out large items without booking and a paid sticker is illegal dumping and the item won't be collected. Book first, sticker it, and use the assigned day.

Why won't my city take my refrigerator or TV? Those four appliances fall under the Home Appliance Recycling Law, not city garbage. Use a retailer, a post-office recycling ticket and a designated drop-off site, or a city-approved collector.

How do I throw away a laptop? Through PC recycling, not your city. If it has a PC Recycle Mark it's free via the maker; otherwise apply to the PC3R Promotion Association. Wipe your data first.

I'm leaving Japan next month — what's the fastest way to clear everything? Sell or give away usable items, book sodai-gomi pickups early, and handle the four appliances and any PC through their own routes. Leave nothing behind without the landlord's written permission.