• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Halfway Anywhere

Halfway Anywhere

  • About
  • Blog
  • PCT
  • CDT
  • Hikes
    • Arizona
      • Arizona Trail
      • Buckskin Gulch/Paria Canyon
      • Royal Arch Loop
    • Australia
      • Outback Bicycle Tour
      • New South Wales
        • The Coast Track
      • Tasmania
        • Federation Peak
        • Frenchmans Cap
        • Mount Anne Circuit
        • Overland Track
        • Western Arthurs Traverse
    • California
      • Cactus to Clouds
      • Kings Canyon High Basin Route
      • Southern Sierra High Route
      • Trans-Catalina Trail
    • Brazil
    • Japan
      • Alps Traverse
      • Fuji Area
      • Hokkaido
      • Hokuriku
      • Kansai
      • Kita Alps
      • Kyushu
    • Nepal
      • Everest Base Camp
      • Three Passes Trek
    • New Zealand
      • Ball Pass Route
    • Oregon
      • Timberline Trail
    • Washington
      • Wonderland Trail
  • Gear
    • Current Gear List
    • Gear Reviews
    • Gear Lists
    • PCT Gear
    • Best Backpacking Quilts
    • Best Satellite Messengers
    • Best Sun Hoodies
    • Best Thru-Hiking Shoes
    • Best Thru-Hiking Socks
    • Deals & Discounts
  • Surveys
    • PCT Survey
      • PCT Survey Results
      • PCT Gear Guide
      • PCT Resupply Guide
      • Women’s Gear Guide
      • Couples’ Gear Guide
      • Demographic Breakdown
      • PCT Horror Stories
      • PCT Hiker Advice
      • PCT Social Issues
      • All PCT Survey Articles
      • PCT SURVEY SIGNUP!
    • CDT Survey
      • CDT Survey Results
      • CDT Gear Guide
      • CDT Resupply Guide
      • CDT Horror Stories
      • CDT Hiker Advice
      • All CDT Survey Articles
      • CDT SURVEY SIGNUP!
    • JMT Survey
      • JMT Survey Results
      • All JMT Survey Articles
      • JMT SURVEY SIGNUP!
  • Contact
    • Say Hello!
    • Support

Garbage In Japan: The Country’s Greatest Mystery

By Mac 4 Comments

In case you missed 11 Reasons You Will Hate Japan, one of the problems you encounter whilst gaijin-smashing your way through the country is the lack of waste receptacles, particularly garbage cans (recycling bins are far more abundant).

However, this minor inconvenience encountered whilst traveling the country is nothing compared to the nightmare of garbage disposal that accompanies residency in the country.

The garbage situation in Japan goes far beyond separating out your recyclables, and the riddle that is garbage can include as many as fourteen different categories.

Additionally, you can’t just use any bag for your garbage. You need to purchase the city’s garbage bags. And the bag you need to buy depends on what kind of garbage you intend on putting in it.

Garbage In Japan-003
So…which bag do I use again?

Now this isn’t necessarily the exact case for the whole of Japan, but in my locality, we are expected to accommodate the following categories of garbage (the following information is taken directly from a city-issued poster on garbage disposal):

  • GARBAGE TO BE BURNED: kitchen garbage, wood chips, grass, paper and cloth unable to be recycled, paper diapers, sanitary items, old clothes
  • CONTAINERS AND PACKAGING MADE OF PLASTIC: plastic bags/wraps, trays, packs/cups, bottles/tubes, nets/buffer materials, clean styrofoam
  • GARBAGE NOT TO BE BURNED: glass, pottery and porcelain, metal, leather and rubber goods
  • PLASTIC BOTTLES: plastic bottles for juice or soft drinks and soy sauce
  • GLASS BOTTLES: for edible substances only, divided into three categories: colorless/transparent glasses/brown glasses and glasses of other colors
  • CANS: for edible substances only, aluminum cans, steel cans

We also have the used papers category (further divided into newspapers, magazines/fliers, and cardboard boxes), the bulky garbage category, the old clothing category, the hazardous garbage category, the spray cans/cassette gas cylinders category, and the video tapes/cassette tapes category.

Japan Garbage Sign
It’s Easy MMMKay.

So what are the implications of this system?

Let’s investigate via some everyday examples of trash: a jar of peanut butter, a bottle of soda, and a Pringles can.

  • JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER: Peanut butter. Yes, fortunately it exists in Japan ($5 for a small jar). Unfortunately, I don’t know what to do with the container once I finish my PBJ binge (I typically eat upwards of ten PBJs in a day). Well first there’s the paper label, we can throw that into burnable garbage. Second we have the lid. This is plastic, but it’s hard plastic? Does that count as plastic? I think it’s more likely an incombustible so let’s throw it in there. Lastly we have the container itself. Pretty sure this is plastic, but there’s all that residual peanut butter my tongue couldn’t reach down at the bottom of the jar. Well short of getting a child’s hands in there to wipe up the mess, you will have to soak the jar and melt out the residual butter of peanuts. Have fun!
  • BOTTLE OF SODA: A bottle of soda (or tea, or water, or etc.), a common item to be needing some throwing away. First you need remove the label. Thankfully (most) Japanese distributors make this easy by perforating the labels on their bottles. Throw it into the plastics. Now take off the cap. This belongs in the incombustibles (at least that’s where I’ve been putting them). Now it’s time to rinse out the bottle and then dry it out before finally throwing it into the plastics bottles bin. Why is life so complicated?
  • PRINGLES CAN: So now that you have finished your snack (which comes in flavors like Wasabi Mayonnaise and Garlic Butter (which is disappointingly disgusting)), you start with that translucent plastic lid. Being that it’s plastic it goes in the plastic. Easy right? Well actually not really. I am unsure on whether or not the lid qualifies and so it may belong in the incombustible garbage. Whatever, moving on: the tube. Well this one is pretty straightforward – it’s cardboard, so clearly burnable. But wait. Did you remember to rinse the can of any crumbs you didn’t manage to absorb in your gluttonous rampage? And wait again. What about that metal piece at the bottom. Metal isn’t burnable, right? But there isn’t an easy way to remove it! Well, stop being lazy and cut it off. Seriously? Seriously. Or you could just throw the entire thing in the burnable garbage…or in with the incombustible garbage. I give up.
Skippy Peanut Butter Jar
So this belongs in two. No, three? Different bins.

Apparently, a woman unofficially known as gomi-lady (trash-lady) patrols my building’s garbage to ensure that tenants are obeying Japan’s rules of throwing things away.

This woman (who I can only assume is either homeless or a garbage enthusiast) has reportedly entered people’s apartments (without prior announcement) to confront them about their garbage habits (this is why the government can’t take our guns).

Officially, you are required to write your name and apartment number on your garbage bags, but I have not seen anyone in my building do this (perhaps because my building is 90% not Japanese) and I am not about to make it easy for the gomi-lady to hunt me down (at one point I believe that signed a piece of paper informing me of a 5,000 yen (~$50 USD) fine for improper garbage disposal).

Just remember: as a foreigner you are usually doing something incorrectly in Japan and throwing away your garbage is no exception.

Garbage Bins In Japan
I hope nobody catches me throw away me garbage.

You'll Like These Too:

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on WhatsApp Share on Email

Japan Daily Life,  Japanese Culture

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
4 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent Posts

  • Continental Divide Trail Hiker Survey (2022)
  • Pacific Crest Trail Resupply Guide (2022 Survey)
  • The Pacific Crest Trail Gear Guide: Class of 2022 Survey
  • Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Survey (2022)
  • Zpacks Zip Around Sleeping Bag Review
Backpacking Gear Pacific Crest Trail Continental Divide Trail Mac's Backpack

Footer

STAY IN TOUCH

You've made it this far, you're either into this site or you're still looking for something. Either way, best to sign up for my newsletter, yeah?

NAVIGATION

  • Recent Posts
  • Backpacking Gear
  • Continental Divide Trail
  • Pacific Crest Trail
  • Brazil Trekking
  • Japan Trekking
  • Nepal Trekking
  • New Zealand Trekking
  • Tasmania Trekking

LEGALESE

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2023 · Halfway Anywhere