Rules for sorting and disposing of garbage

Schedule and way to put out garbage

In Japan, garbage must be sorted by type, and each type has its own collection day and time. This information is usually presented in a table with the columns 「ごみの種類(ごみのしゅるい, type of garbage)」, 「出す日(だすひ, collection day)」, and 「出す時間(だすじかん, collection time)」. To read it, first determine the type of garbage, find its row, and then check the day and time. For the question 「今日は何を出せますか」, match that day with the day column, then check whether the time limit has not yet passed.

Common types of garbage:

• 燃えるごみ(もえるごみ, combustible garbage) — household garbage that burns easily, including 「生ごみ(なまごみ, food scraps)」.
• 燃えないごみ(もえないごみ, non-combustible garbage) — items such as metal and glass. An umbrella 「傘(かさ, umbrella)」 usually belongs to this type, but 「ビニールのカバー(びにーるのかばー, plastic cover)」 must be removed first.
• 資源ごみ(しげんごみ, recyclable garbage) — 「空き缶(あきかん, empty can)」, 「空きびん(あきびん, empty bottle)」, and 「新聞・雑誌(しんぶん・ざっし, newspapers and magazines)」.
• びん・かん(びん・かん, glass bottles and cans) — usually collected on a specific schedule that differs from daily garbage.
• ペットボトル(ぺっとぼとる, PET bottle) and プラスチック(ぷらすちっく, plastic) are two different types, so their schedules may also differ.
• 有害ごみ(ゆうがいごみ, hazardous garbage) and 粗大ごみ(そだいごみ, oversized garbage) have their own rules.

Preparation before disposal:

• 外す(はずす, remove) — for example, remove labels and caps from plastic bottles before disposing of them.
• 袋に入れる(ふくろにいれる, put into a bag) — garbage must be placed in a bag.
• 指定の袋(していのふくろ, designated bag) — a special bag that must be used.
• 袋の口を結ぶ(ふくろのくちをむすぶ, tie the mouth of the bag) — the mouth of the bag must be tied tightly before disposal.

Disposal location:

• ごみ置き場(ごみおきば, garbage collection point) — a designated place, for example 「1階のごみ置き場(いっかいのごみおきば, garbage collection point on the 1st floor)」.
• 駐車場の前/横(ちゅうしゃじょうのまえ/よこ, in front of/beside the parking area) — a special location for certain types of garbage. It may differ from other collection points.
• 号棟(ごうとう, building block number) — the collection point may differ for each building block.
• びん・かん・ペットボトル are sometimes collected on the same day in one group.

Time patterns: