Suggested soundtrack Turning Japanese by The Vapors.

While browsing Facebook, I stumbled upon a post by a friend Gabe Marciano who has been living in Nagoya, Japan for the past 20 months about the fact that he couldn’t purchase a coffee at McDonald’s because it came in a Styrofoam cup, which he would have to pay to recycle. My interest was piqued.

As time went on, he began to reveal more about what sounded like a very intricate and complex recycling system which he and his family had to contend with. For Earth Day, I decided to ask him to describe the trash system in Japan. Naturally, he said, I needed to talk to Elizabeth, his wife and also a friend of mine, who was charged with handling the trash-sorting duties. I loved her explanation and style of writing so much that I had to use it almost verbatim, making changes solely for clarity’s sake.

Please join me in welcoming the Marciano’s back to America, where I’m confident they will have the most well-sorted trash on their block. And after you read this, you’ll never complain about the American’s version of recycling every again.

I give you “Japanese Trash Talk” By Elizabeth Marciano.

Japan has a complicated trash disposal system. I have a bachelor’s degree, and my trash has been returned twice. It is worth noting that while even some Japanese believe the system is ridiculous, mistakes are embarrassing from a cultural standpoint. You are not only shaming yourself, but also the people you live near. Which is inconsiderate, and should be avoided at all costs.

So yes, mistakes were made and my garbage was returned, meaning I shamed my neighbors shortly after arriving. These returns occurred after the initial three weeks of storing garbage in our house like hoarders because the sorting was so complicated. You can’t imagine what a bold statement that is until you know what garbage smells like two days after baby poop has been deposited.

Moving on…your trash is sorted according to the ku, or neighborhood you live in, which is part of the shi, or city, and that is a part of your prefecture, which could be compared to a state. THIS seems unimportant, but skip that info and you’ll do something crazy, like hoard garbage for three weeks straight or get yours returned.

Basics:

• Garbage bags have colored labels, and the colors means something. The colors are also different based on what ku (see above) and shi (see above, again) you live in. In my ku, our setup is as follows:
• Burnable goes into a clear bag with a red label. The clear is important because when you try to toss out the wrong item (and you will), your neighbors can leave you notes to help you not make such an embarrassing mistake again (and they do).
• After label removal (where possible) and a thorough washing, cans go into a clear bag with a green label.
• The PET plastic bottles are disposed into a clear bag with a blue label, after their lids are put in the red bin and they’ve been rinsed. Other plastic bottles are burnable and therefore go into the red label bag.
• There are matching cans which can be purchased to coordinate with the bags if you need a reminder.

Advanced:

• “Burnable” has very specific guidelines. It might be argued that at the right temperature, nearly everything is burnable. I’m not disputing the validity of that statement, nor am I disputing the science behind it. I am, however, telling you that if you put something Japan says is not burnable in the burnables bag, because you think you know science, your garbage will be returned. Because, no.
• To assist with this, you can find a printable version of a cheat sheet which corresponds with your ku’s list of acceptable items for each bag color. There is also a list of prohibited items. For the items prohibited from disposal via the initial three bag system, there are additional bags, with different pickup days (to be covered later).
• If your item is not approved for those days, you may purchase a sticker from your local konbini (convenient store), attach it to said item, and schedule a pickup with your local removal service.

Scheduling:

• Burnable garbage is collected twice per week in my neighborhood (Tuesdays and Fridays).
• Recycling (comprised of the green and blue bag items, plus your glass with labels removed and bottles washed) can be taken once per week to a specified location. It must be taken between certain hours, and if you miss the time slot, you must wait until the next scheduled drop-off or drive to designated drop-off spots.
• The prohibited items, after placed in the correct bag, may be placed in front of your house to be picked up via truck the third Wednesday of every month.

Note: If your item does not fit in the bag, you must purchase a sticker and arrange pick up.

Further note: Cardboard has a separate date from all of these. Let me guess, you thought it was burnable? #Newbs

Also important to note that the garbage trucks run at a specific time, however, that time might change, and if it does, you will receive no notice, which could result in your garbage being picked at, by crows, instead of up, by the removal service.

Crows: Someone said, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.” Maybe it is. In Japan, it’s a crow-eat-trash world. And the crows are not alone. They send scouts. This is not a joke. They will watch and wait. Also, they evaluate your trash because they have phenomenal vision. Which means that if you don’t put out anything they find omoshiroi (interesting), you’re safe. Otherwise, you might find yourself picking up pieces of toilet paper, diaper, and Thursday’s leftovers.

Good news, there are about a million methods employed to prevent the crows from their dark mission. Bad news, most of these are totally bogus. Local stores sell poison, but if you’re not looking to carry out a death sentence, you are going to spend months, or years, in trial and error. Trust me. Currently, we have a net and a bungee cord, which allows us to make a trash sack we can suspend from a piece of concrete in front of our house.

Neighbors: This one is tricky. In Japan, if you do not look Japanese (and note I did not use the word Asian. That word is considered offensive by a lot of folks here because it implies that everyone in Asia looks the same. They don’t.), you are gaijin (a foreigner) and expected to ruin most things until you prove you don’t. This can be difficult because the language barrier prevents you from figuring out what you’ve messed up, and additionally, many folks will simply maintain the belief that as a gaijin you cannot evolve. At any rate, your neighbors will inspect your garbage if you are gaijin. Take offense or not, they do it.

And if you live in a neighborhood with particularly dedicated waste disposers, your incorrect bag will be separated, and placed pretty much on top of your door. Sometimes you will get a note. Other times, they will knock at your door, cut open your bag, and remove the item (if they are really trying to be helpful or think you are really incompetent) while pointing at it and explaining in Japanese. Your job at this point is to bow low, apologize in Japanese, and try not to embarrass your neighbors again.

Some areas have more involved systems than others. Mine is average. One town in Japan is actually able to recycle nearly all of its waste, and taking the garbage out is an all day event. So, congratulations on completing your basic Japanese garbage tutorial.