Yokohama by 8 a.m., Fukuoka’s Designated Bags: The Rules for Putting Out Trash in Japan

In Japan, trash is sorted by type and put out on a set day, at a set place. How you sort it, what time you put it out, and what kind of bag to use are all decided by the city, town, or ward you live in. It is normal for the same category — "plastic," say — to be collected on a different day in the next city over.

Using the nationwide basics set out in the 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working) from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), together with the official guidance of the cities of Yokohama, Fukuoka, and Osaka as examples, this article explains how to put out trash and how to arrange for oversized-trash (sodai gomi) collection. It also notes where guidance in Ukrainian can be found. Everything here was checked against each body’s official page in September 2026. This article does not tell you the collection days or sorting rules for your own area. Check the guidance published by the city, town, or ward you live in.

The Only Three Basics That Are the Same Nationwide

The 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working, Japanese-language 8th edition) published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) explains, in Chapter 12, "Rules and Customs of Daily Life," what you must follow when putting out trash:

• Follow the place and day (day of the week) set for each type of trash
• Follow the rules of the city, town, or ward you live in for where to put out which type of trash
• Trash of a type other than the designated ones, or put out somewhere other than the designated place, will not be collected

The same guidebook also notes that, in general, trash should be put out on the morning of the collection day, and that some cities, towns, and wards require a designated, paid bag. As examples of trash types, it lists five: burnable trash (kitchen scraps, paper, and so on), non-burnable trash (broken plates and cups, metal, glass, and so on), recyclable trash (bottles, cans, PET bottles, newspapers, books, plastic containers, cardboard, and so on), oversized trash (sodai gomi: furniture, bicycles, futons, and so on), and household-appliance waste. The guidebook itself is careful to note that these are only examples, and that the actual categories differ by city, town, and ward.

The guidebook asks that cooking oil not be poured down the kitchen drain, but instead be soaked into paper or solidified before being disposed of according to the rules of your city, town, or ward.

Where Yokohama and Fukuoka Differ

Placing the two cities side by side shows just how large the difference is. The following is based on the City of Yokohama’s page for foreign residents (the original Japanese text) and the City of Fukuoka’s official "How to Sort and Put Out Trash and Recyclables" information site, among other sources.

The City of Yokohama says the day of the week for putting out trash and recyclables depends on where you live, and advises checking the sticker posted at the collection point or asking a neighbor. It also states that trash put out without following the sorting rules is left in place with a warning sticker attached, and that anyone who keeps putting out unsorted trash despite repeated warnings must pay ¥2,000. Littering cans and cigarette butts is prohibited, and violators may face a fine of up to ¥20,000.

The City of Fukuoka requires burnable trash to be placed in the city’s designated bag and the top tied securely before being put out. Items too large for the bag to be tied shut, or items whose weight would tear the bag, count as oversized trash.

If you have just moved, the quickest approach is to search your city, town, or ward’s website for "trash" (gomi), "how to sort" (wakekata), and "how to put out" (dashikata), and check the notice and day of the week posted at your collection point. If you rent, the management company or landlord will know the rules for that building’s trash area. The process of renting a room is covered in our article on renting a room in Japan.

Oversized Trash: Apply First, Then Put It Out

Large items such as furniture and bicycles cannot be put out on an ordinary trash day. In all three cities, the system is the same: apply in advance, pay a fee, and then put the item out on the assigned day.

Yokohama

You apply by phone or online to the Oversized Trash Reception Center. Once you apply, you are told the date, time, place, and fee. It takes about two weeks from applying to collection. You pay the fee either by buying an "oversized trash collection sticker" at a financial institution, post office, or convenience store designated by the city, or, if you applied by LINE, chat, or online, by electronic payment. By 8 a.m. on the collection day, attach the sticker bearing your reception number and collection date (or, for electronic payment, the paper slip provided) and put the item out at the designated place. Collection continues even on rainy days. The reception center handles English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Fukuoka

You apply to the Oversized Trash Reception Center by phone (092-731-1153, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), online, or by LINE. Collection comes as soon as about a week after you apply. You buy an oversized-trash processing ticket (¥300, ¥500, or ¥1,000) at a convenience store or similar, write your reception number or name on it and attach it, and put the item out at the designated place by 8:30 a.m. on the collection day. If you applied by LINE, you can also pay by credit card or PayPay.

Osaka

According to the City of Osaka’s pamphlet "The ABCs of Trash Manners," you apply by phone or online to the Oversized Trash Collection Reception Center. The collection date falls somewhere between three days and one month after you apply, excluding Sundays and January 1–3. The fee is set by the item and its size; for each item, you buy a fee ticket (in one of four denominations: ¥200, ¥400, ¥700, or ¥1,000) matching the amount you applied for, attach it, and put the item out by 8:30 a.m. on the collection day.

Home Appliances and Computers the City Won’t Collect

Four items — air conditioners; televisions; refrigerators and freezers; and washing machines and clothes dryers — cannot be put out as oversized trash. The guidebook explains that when you replace or dispose of these, you must pay a recycling fee and a collection-and-transport fee, and advises asking either the store where you buy the new item or the store where you bought the item you are disposing of to take the old one away. If you don’t know where it was bought, contact the city, town, or ward you live in.

Computers, too, are not collected by either the City of Yokohama or the City of Fukuoka. Yokohama advises applying to the manufacturer or to the Association for Promotion of 3Rs, Personal Computers (PC3R). A computer that fits through the slot of a small-appliance collection box can also be put in there.

The guidebook warns that dumping trash anywhere other than a designated place can carry a criminal penalty. The City of Yokohama says it has received complaints of people being charged high fees after asking a collector — the kind that drives around advertising over a loudspeaker — to take away their trash, and urges residents to use the city’s own collection or an operator licensed by the city.

Guidance Available in Ukrainian

As far as we could confirm in September 2026, none of the three cities’ sorting pamphlets had a Ukrainian-language version. The languages available are as follows:

Among national materials, the 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working) does have a Ukrainian-language edition. Chapter 12 (Розділ 12), in the section "Сміття" (Trash), covers the basic rules for putting out trash and the ban on dumping it anywhere other than a designated place. However, it covers only the nationwide basics, and does not tell you the day of the week or sorting rules for your own area. The Ukrainian edition is also the 7th edition — a different edition from the Japanese-language 8th edition, which reflects the system as of August 1, 2025.

Some city, town, and ward websites have a machine-translation function built in, and Ukrainian is among the language options on the City of Yokohama’s site. Because it is machine translation, the translation of item names or days of the week is not always accurate. Check anything you read through machine translation against the notice posted at the collection point or against the original Japanese.

For places to turn to when it’s hard to ask in Japanese, see our article on where to ask first when you start living in Japan. The City of Yokohama notes that the Resource Circulation Bureau office you would contact about how to put out trash handles inquiries in Japanese only, and advises anyone who doesn’t understand Japanese to have someone who speaks Japanese contact it on their behalf.

What to Check Once You’ve Settled In

• The collection day of the week and the time to put out trash and recyclables at your address (your city, town, or ward’s website; the notice at the collection point)
• Whether a designated bag is required, and where to buy it (your city, town, or ward)
• How to sort plastic, cans/bottles/PET bottles, and waste paper (your city, town, or ward’s sorting guide or app)
• Where to apply for oversized-trash collection and how to pay the fee (your city, town, or ward’s Oversized Trash Reception Center)
• How your building’s trash area works (for rentals, the management company or landlord)

What is written here was confirmed on each body’s official page in September 2026. Sorting rules and fees can change. Before putting out your trash, check the most recent guidance from the city, town, or ward you live in.