Tokyo Garbage Sorting: The Complete Guide + Booking Bulky Waste (粗大ゴミ) — TokyoHelp
Tokyo Garbage Sorting: The Complete Guide + Booking Bulky Waste (粗大ゴミ)
Understand Japan's burnable/non-burnable/recyclables/plastic categories, learn that rules and collection days differ by ward/city (and where to get your ward's chart), and master the paid advance booking + processing-ticket steps for oversized waste.
8 min readChecked against official sources 2026-06-16
For most Tokyo newcomers, taking out the trash is the first thing that trips them up. Household garbage must be split into several categories and put out on fixed collection days, at a set time and place. Oversized items like furniture and appliances ('bulky waste', 粗大ゴミ) can't just be left at the curb at all: you have to book and pay in advance and buy a special processing ticket. Here's how it all works, plus how to book bulky-waste pickup.
The common household garbage categories
Japan's Ministry of the Environment groups household waste into four basic categories (names and sub-splits vary by area; always follow your own municipality's rules):
Burnable (燃えるゴミ / 可燃ゴミ / 燃やすゴミ): food scraps, tissues, small wood pieces, leather, etc. Usually collected twice a week.
Non-burnable (燃えないゴミ / 不燃ゴミ): metal, glass, ceramics, small electronics, lighters. Often once or twice a month.
Recyclables (資源 / リサイクル): cans (缶), glass bottles (瓶), PET bottles (ペットボトル), and paper/cardboard (古紙) — usually put out separately as cans-and-bottles, PET bottles, and paper.
Plastic (プラ): plastic container packaging marked with the プラ symbol (food trays, wrap, bags, bottle caps). Some wards further split 'container plastic' from 'plastic products'.
Tip: rinse and drain bottles/cans before putting them out. Lithium-ion batteries, power banks and spray cans must NOT go in normal trash — they cause fires in collection trucks, so follow your ward's hazardous-waste rule.
Key point: rules and collection days DIFFER by ward/city
This is the most important thing to internalize: there is no nationwide trash rule. How many categories, what they're called, which day each is collected, and whether a designated bag is required are all decided by your ward (区) or city (市町村). Don't copy a friend in another ward — get the sorting chart for YOUR area.
1Go to your ward/city website, search 'ごみ 分別' or 'how to sort and dispose of resources and garbage', and download the collection calendar and sorting guide for your neighbourhood.
2Confirm which weekday each category is collected near you — collection days can differ even between blocks within the same ward.
3Install the free 'San-a-ru' (さんあ〜る) app, adopted by many municipalities: check your local collection days, set put-out reminders, and look up which category an item belongs to by name.
4Check whether your area requires a 'designated garbage bag' (指定ゴミ袋) — most of Tokyo's 23 wards don't, but some cities require a purchased designated bag.
Many wards publish multilingual (English/Chinese/Korean, etc.) sorting guides. Shinjuku offers foreign-resident garbage instructions in multiple languages; Minato's sorting guidebook comes in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. Language isn't a barrier.
Bulky waste (粗大ゴミ): book and pay in advance + buy a ticket
Items over a certain size count as 'bulky waste' and can't go out as normal trash. In Shinjuku, for example, furniture, bedding, bicycles and (non-appliance-recycling) electronics that exceed roughly 30cm on any side are bulky waste. The flow is: book → buy a processing ticket → attach it → place the item out on the day.
1Book: call your ward's Bulky Waste Reception Centre, or use the official online reception (24h). In Shinjuku that's phone 03-5304-8080 (Mon–Sat 8:00–19:00) and online at shinjuku-sodai.com. They'll tell you the fee, collection day and where to place the item.
2Buy the processing ticket (有料粗大ゴミ処理券): get it at convenience stores or shops displaying the ticket sign, cleaning offices, or the ward office counter, totalling the fee you were quoted.
3Attach the ticket: write your name (or room number) and the collection date on the ticket, and stick it where it's visible.
4Put it out: on the morning of your collection day, place the item at the spot you were told (your door, building entrance, etc.). No handover in person is needed.
TVs, fridges/freezers, washers/dryers and air conditioners (the 'four appliance categories') fall under the Home Appliance Recycling Law, NOT bulky waste — arrange them via the retailer you buy/replace from or a designated route, paying separate recycling and transport fees. PCs also have their own recycling route. Confirm which path your item takes before booking.
Checklist: before you book bulky waste
▢List of items + rough dimensions (L/W/H — used to confirm 'bulky' status and set the fee)
▢Your ward's Bulky Waste Reception Centre phone number or online reception URL
▢A workable plan to carry the item to the placement spot (you're usually expected to move it to the door yourself)
▢Your preferred collection day (popular slots fill up; the moving season is tighter)
▢Cash for the processing ticket, or a nearby convenience store in mind
Do Tokyo's 23 wards require designated garbage bags?
Most of the 23 wards do NOT mandate a designated bag — clear/translucent bags are fine. But some cities (notably parts of the Tama area) only collect garbage in a purchased designated bag. Always check your own municipality's site.
What happens if I put garbage out on the wrong day or mis-sort it?
Collectors usually won't take it; the bag gets a warning sticker and is left behind for you to take home and re-sort for the correct day. Repeated mistakes can draw neighbour complaints, so follow your ward's chart.
How much does bulky waste cost?
Fees depend on item type and size, typically a few hundred to over a thousand yen per item. The exact amount is what the ward quotes at booking or lists on its fee table — this article isn't a substitute for the official quote.
My Japanese isn't ready — how do I phone-book bulky waste?
Many wards' online reception works with a browser translator, so you may not need to call at all. If a phone booking is required, ask a Japanese-speaking friend or neighbour to call with you — or post a 'phone-call proxy' request on this app so a neighbour can make the booking call for you.
This is general living information, not case-specific administrative advice. Fees, collection days and reception hours are governed by your own ward/city website; rules can change, so re-check the official page before you head out.
