From Tsukuba City Information

Main: Garbage Sorting Guide

*Illustrated guidebook on garbage sorting is also available. (*approx. 10-11MB) English version Chinese version Korean version Portuguese version Garbage is sorted into the following categories Burnable Garbage Cans Spray Cans Plastic "PET" Bottles Glass Bottles Used Paper and Clothing Fluorescent Lights and Batteries Non Burnable Garbage Oversized Garbage Commercial Garbage Garbage that cannot be Handled by the City Garbage that must be taken directly to the Clean Center

Burnable Garbage
Includes: Kitchen waste, waste paper, woodchips, plastic, polyethylene bags, Styrofoam and other plastic products, diapers, cassettes, videotapes, leather, rubber Actions: Put in officially designated (20, 30, 40 liter) bags which are sold at supermarkets and convenience stores. Garbage that does not fit in a 40 liter bag must be disposed of as OVERSIZED GARBAGE. Treatment: Incinerated and buried in landfills

Special Cases
Kitchen waste: Drain liquids, consider composting. Items made entirely of plastic: Products made of both plastic and metal are NONBURNABLE GARBAGE. Food trays, Styrofoam: Return food trays to stores Plastic wrap, cellophane: Plastic bags that contain aluminum (such as potato chip bags) are BURNABLE GARBAGE. Plastic lids of PET bottles: Recycle the PET bottle and dispose of lid as BURNABLE GARBAGE. Paper cartons: Cartons with no aluminum should be recycled as USED PAPER AND CLOTHES. Cooking oil: Should be solidified with a chemical agent or soaked into paper. Wooden bats, rackets, brooms: Must be less than 150 cm. Wrap in BURNABLE GARBAGE bags. Yard, garden waste (branches, leaves, grass): Pruned branches must be 50 cm or less. Put in BURNABLE GARBAGE bags. Up to 5 bags can be put out at one time. Large amounts of waste must be taken directly to the Clean Center. Leather, rubber, boots, sneakers, leather shoes, cassettes, videos, CDs, anti-moisture agents, ice packs, pills, shells, pet feces: Dispose of as BURNABLE GARBAGE.

Cans
Includes: Food and drink cans Actions: Empty the contents and rinse. Pull tabs and very dirty cans are NONBURNABLE GARBAGE. No official bags. Use transparent or semi-transparent bags of over 20 liters. Ask about local groups that collect cans for recycling. Treatment: Sorted, then recycled (steel, aluminum cans)

Spray Cans
Includes: Spray cans, butane gas cartridges Actions: Remove lids and dispose of them as BURNABLE GARBAGE. Empty the contents of the can completely and then puncture the can somewhere with good air circulation and no chance of fire. No official bags. Use transparent or semi-transparent bags of over 20 liters. Spray cans and glass bottles are collected on the same day, but must be disposed of in separate bags. Treatment: sorted, crushed, then recycled or buried in landfills

Plastic "PET" Bottles

Includes: Drink, soy sauce, liquor bottles, food bottles, jars Actions: Remove lids and labels and dispose of them as BURNABLE GARBAGE. Empty the contents and rinse. Very dirty or oily bottles are BURNABLE GARBAGE. No official bags. Use transparent or semi-transparent bags of over 20 liters. Treatment: recycled and made into clothing or plastic

Special Cases
Egg containers: Dispose of as BURNABLE GARBAGE even if they have a PET mark.

Glass Bottles
Includes: Drink bottles, food bottles, jars Actions: Remove lids dispose of the lids as appropriate (plastic -- BURNABLE , metal ? NONBURNABLE). Empty the contents and rinse. Very dirty or broken bottles are NONBURNABLE GARBAGE. No official bags. Use transparent or semi-transparent bags of over 20 liters. Spray cans and glass bottles are collected on the same day, but must be disposed of in separate bags. Sake and beer bottles can be returned to liquor stores. Ask about local groups that collect bottles for recycling. Treatment: sorted by color, then recycled

Special Cases
Heat-resistant glass products, cosmetic bottles: Dispose of as NONBURNABLE GARBAGE.

Used Paper and Clothing

Includes: Newspapers, flyers, magazines, books, other kinds of paper, cardboard, cartons, clothes Actions: Sort the different kinds of paper and clothing and tie them separately with string. If it rains, put them in plastic bags or keep them until the next dry collection day. Ask about local

groups that collect these items for recycling. Consider donating books and magazines to used book stores, and clothing to flea market or bazaars. Treatment: Paper will be recycled into cardboard or newspaper, clothes will be recycled into cleaning rags

Special Cases
Newspapers: Tie with string and put in paper or plastic bags. Magazines, books: Tie with string. Other kinds of paper (candy boxes, wrapping paper, etc.): Tie with string. Corrugated cardboard: Fold to less than 1 sq.m. and tie with string. Paper cartons (milk, juice cartons): Empty the contents and rinse, cut open, dry, and tie with string. (Smaller cartons can be recycled.) Clothing (cotton, wool), bed sheets: Tie with string. Blankets: Fold to less than 1 sq.m. and tie with string. Futons are OVERSIZED GARBAGE. Adhesive tape, envelopes with plastic windows, film, plastic coated paper, thermal recording paper, carbon paper, empty detergent boxes, futons, carpets, clothing made of synthetic fibers (such as ski suits): Be sure not to include any of these when disposing of paper and clothing.

Fluorescent Lights and Batteries

Includes: Fluorescent lights, batteries, thermometers Actions: Place items in receptacles marked kaishuu bako at city branch offices, community centers, or the parking lot at Kukizaki Senior Citizens' Welfare Center. Put lights back in their original packaging to prevent breakage. Treatment: mercury is removed, then item is recycled

Special Cases
Lightbulbs, broken fluorescent lights: Dispose of as NONBURNABLE GARBAGE. Batteries: Return button-type or rechargeable batteries to stores. Mercury thermometers: Put back in original packaging to prevent breakage. Fluorescent lights and batteries from commercial establishments: Handled by licensed waste management companies.

Nonburnable Garbage
Includes: Glass, earthenware, products made of both plastic and metal Actions: No official bags. Use transparent or semi-transparent bags of over 20 liters. Garbage that does not fit in a 40 liter bag must be disposed of as OVERSIZED GARBAGE. Treatment: broken into smaller pieces, then burned, buried in landfills, or recycled

Special Cases
Knives, needles (kitchen knives, razors, etc.): Wrap in thick paper and mark as KIKEN (danger) in bold, red letters (preferably in hiragana or kanji). Bottles other than for food or drink (eg. for cosmetics): If broken, wrap in thick paper and mark as KIKEN (danger) in bold, red letters (preferably in hiragana or kanji). Glass or earthenware: If broken, wrap in thick paper and mark as KIKEN (danger) in bold, red letters (preferably in hiragana or kanji). Light bulbs, broken fluorescent lights: See FLUORESCENT LIGHTS AND BATTERIES. If

broken, wrap in thick paper and mark as KIKEN (danger) in bold, red letters (preferably in hiragana or kanji). Aluminum foil: Aluminum foil is NONBURNABLE, but plastic/aluminum bags (eg. potato chip bags) are BURNABLE. Lighters: Empty the contents. Metal bats, golf clubs, etc.: Must be less than 150 cm. Wrap in a bag. Products made of both plastic and metal, cooking equipment (pans, etc.), metal bottle caps, disposable body warmers: All can be disposed of as NONBURNABLE GARBAGE.

Oversized Garbage
Includes: Electrical appliances (other than washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, TVs, air conditioners, computers), furniture, bedding, bicycles, small motorcycles Actions: See below. Treatment: crushed, then incinerated, buried in landfills, or recycled Anything that cannot fit in a regular 40L garbage bag is considered "large". If you have a large item that can be broken down into small enough parts to fit into a 40L bag, please put it in the bag and dispose of it on the appropriate day. If it can be broken down into parts that are burnable and parts that are not, please dispose of the various parts appropriately. The standard size for a 40L bag is 40cm x 25cm x 60cm. Since April 2005, we have had a new system for disposing of large garbage items. You have to pay a fee of 400 yen, 800 yen, or 1200 yen, based on the size and weight of the object, in order to get rid of these items. These items cannot be thrown out at the regular garbage collection location. In order to dispose of large garbage items, you must call the Collection Center to arrange the date and location of disposal, the amount of the disposal fee and the confirmation number. The Collection Center is open from 8:30am to 5:15pm (Mon-Fri, including national holidays that fall on weekdays), and closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and from December 29 to Jan 3. If you want to arrange for a specific date for collection, be sure to call the Collection Center well in advance. It is possible to dispose of large items by bringing them directly to the Clean Center. (If you bring them directly to the Clean Center, you don't need to call the Collection Center.) However, it is necessary to separate the large items from the regular garbage. If you are only disposing of regular garbage, please put it out on the normal collection days rather than bringing it to the center.

To throw out large items:

Call the Collection Center (029-860-2984) between 8:30am and 5:15pm (Mon-Fri) and give them your name, address, telephone number, and the name of the item that you are discarding. You will be told the pick up date and the fees, and you will be given a confirmation number. This can also be done online. (in Japanese). Purchase tickets for the appropriate amount at one of the designated stores (list in Japanese). Put the item out by 8am on the assigned collection date. The garbage will be picked up. (No need to stand outside and wait for it to be picked up.) Take reusable oversized garbage to Tsukuba Recycle Hiroba (029-847-4060), recycle shops, or flea markets. The Tsukuba Recycle Hiroba will pick up items such as furniture, bedding, and bicycles on Tuesdays. (Closed Mondays) If you bring the item directly to the Clean Center, you will be charged 130 yen per 10 kg.

Special Cases
Washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, TVs, air conditioners, computers: See GARBAGE THAT CANNOT BE HANDLED BY THE CITY Futons, carpets: Fold into smaller size and tie with string. Doors, paper screens, tatami: Take them apart and make them less than 2 meters in length. Motorcycles (under 125cc): Discard fuel and label motorcycle fuyouhin (garbage) Bicycles: Label bicycle fuyouhin (garbage)

Commercial Garbage
All garbage produced by commercial entities. Commercial garbage cannot be put out with regular household garbage. Either take the garbage directly to the Clean Center (ask the Clean Center for details) or have it picked up by a licensed waste management company (ask the Waste Management Division for details).

Garbage that Cannot be Handled by the City

Washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, TVs, air conditioners: Return them to the store where you bought them or where you are going to buy a new appliance. Computers: Return them to the manufacturer. Used oil, pharmaceuticals, paints, gas tanks, fire extinguishers, dead bodies of animals, medical waste, construction waste, bricks, cinder blocks, concrete, stones, sand, soil, ashes, agricultural machinery, agricultural materials, tires, vehicle batteries, oil, other commercial waste: Must be returned to store or handled by a licensed waste management company. Ask the Recycling Division for more information. Vinyl farm sheets: Can be recycled. Ask the Agriculture Division for more information. Motorcycles (over 125cc): Can be recycled. Ask the Motorcycle Recycle Call Center for more information.

Appliances
According to the law, washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, TVs, air conditioners must be returned to the stores where you purchased them or where you are going to buy a new appliance. They will be recycled for a fee. If the stores won't take them, please call the Recycling Division. These appliances will not be collected by the city.

Computers
According to the law, computers must be returned to the manufacturer. Ask the manufacturer for more information. If you built your own computer, contact the PC 3R Promotion Center (03-5282-7685). Computers will not be collected by the city.

Garbage that must be Taken Directly to the Clean Center

Large amount of garbage as a result of moving Large amount of pruned branches and dead trees: Cut to less than 1m in length and 15 cm in diameter. Large amount of yard, garden waste (leaves, grass, etc.): Must only be from your yard or garden. Remove soil. Large number of tin sheets, tatami, fusuma doors, shoji doors, other doors, large furniture: Take

Large number of tin sheets, tatami, fusuma doors, shoji doors, other doors, large furniture: Take them apart. Make them under 2 meters. Please note that there will be extra charges for handling OVERSIZED GARBAGE as of April 2005, regardless of whether items are brought directly to the Clean Center. Please contact the Clean Center to determine if you can take your garbage directly to the Clean Center or not. Contact the Recycling Division for information on how to sort or dispose of garbage. Contact the Waste Management Division for problems with garbage collection sites or illegal dumping.
Topics: Garbage Relevant for: Newcomers, Residents Retrieved from http://tsukubainfo.jp/Main/GarbageSortingGuide Page last modified on May 12, 2010, at 01:41 AM EST