Trash in Japan - how to dispose of it More complicated than we thought!

What do you do with your garbage? You probably try to dispose of it as environmentally friendly as possible. But that's not always so easy everywhere. In Japan, the issue of garbage separation is frighteningly complex and even drives some Japanese to despair!

Where can I dispose of my garbage in Japan?

In public, you will surprisingly find very few trash cans in Japan. The reason for this goes back over 20 years: In 1995, a terrorist attack with poison gas took place in the Tokyo subway. Afterwards, Japanese authorities removed most trash cans from public areas because they could potentially be misused for further terrorist attacks. The trash cans you see standing in public today are therefore transparent so that it is immediately recognizable if something dangerous is in them.

Therefore, the Japanese usually take their garbage back home with them instead of disposing of it in public.

Can I not throw anything away in public?

Yes! There are trash cans - but you have to know where to look for them. Trash cans are usually set up:

• next to vending machines
• in front of convenience stores
• in some train stations

Throwing garbage on the street - is that possible?

Please don't do that. Don't throw chewing gum or cigarette butts on the ground. In Japan, this is considered extremely rude. Japanese streets are cleaned very often and are very, very clean because all Japanese people are very careful not to throw anything on the street.

(How) is the garbage separated?

Garbage separation is very important in Japan and is also expected of tourists. You should definitely adhere to the official garbage separation guidelines. These may vary slightly from region to region, but are basically the same.

• Burnable garbage (燃やせるごみ Moyaseru Gomi): this is similar to our organic/residual waste. This category includes food waste, non-recyclable paper or plastic, diapers, cotton swabs, bio-waste and garden waste. You need special garbage bags for this garbage
• Plastic waste (プラ Pura): all packaging/plastic bags; in Japan, a lot of plastic is used, so you often have to get rid of this waste
• Paper waste: newspapers and other paper
• Cans and bottles: This includes glass bottles and aluminum cans