Garbage collection in Tokyo
What do you think is essential to have a good relationship with your neighbors? Is it a greeting with a smile? Or not to make too much noise? There must be many that come up to your mind. For people living in Tokyo, what they consider at the most may be proper Gomidashi Gomidashi ゴミ出し, or proper Sort / Dispose of Garbage.
Why is proper Gomidashi so important?
In Tokyo prefecture, including 23 words of Tokyo, garbage collection boxes are usually not provided in a public place (except for newly-built apartments, housing complexes, etc.). Instead, garbage bags are gathered at a collecting point on the street designated on each block.
The day and kinds of garbage to be collected are scheduled strictly, and the improperly-disposed garbage is not collected by garbage collecting cars. The improperly-disposed garbage are left on the street for days, even weeks, that state sometimes induces passersby to litter trash on the street nearby, which is said to cause a decline in public safety.
Also, it is important to follow the rule that garbage should not be disposed at night, even if you find difficulty in disposing of them in the morning. Garbage bags left on the street all night long are at risk of being scattered by crows and cats coming up for their supper and breakfast. What a mess you will see in the next morning. And the problem is, someone in the neighborhood has to clean the mess up, which makes all the neighbors feel uncomfortable. This is actually the one causing problems with neighbors in Tokyo.
How to sort and dispose of Garbage
The regulations on how to sort/dispose of garbage are varied depending on the district you live in. In general, garbage is put in plastic bags that color must be white, yellow, or transparent. Black-colored bags are not allowed to use. Combustibles and Non-combustibles are sorted. You are to dispose of them on a designated day by 8:00AM. If you are new to live in Tokyo, it is advisable to go to the local government office to get detailed information. Most of the offices in 23 wards offer guidebooks in several languages (English, Chinese and Korean etc.)
Japanese words related to Garbage collection
Combustible Garbage
燃えるゴミ (もえるごみ Moeru Gomi)
OR
燃やすゴミ (もやすごみ Moyasu Gomi)
Non-combustible Garbage
燃えないゴミ (もえないごみ Moenai Gomi)
OR
燃やさないゴミ (もやさないごみ Moyasanai Gomi)
Large-sized Garbage
粗大ゴミ (そだいごみ Sodai Gomi)
Recyclable Resources
資源ゴミ (しげんごみ Shigen Gomi)
Garbage collecting day
ゴミ収集日 (ごみしゅうしゅうび Gomi-shushu Bi)
Sorting Garbage
ゴミの分別 (ごみのぶんべつ Gomi-no Bunbetsu)
Dispose of Garbage
ゴミ出し (ごみだし Gomidashi)
Garbage Collecting Point
ゴミ集積所 (ごみしゅうせきじょ Gomi Shusekijo)
Garbage Collecting Car
ゴミ収集車 (ごみしゅうしゅうしゃ Gomi Shushu-sha)
Garbage Bags
ゴミ袋 (ごみぶくろ Gomi Bukuro)
Garbage bin
ゴミ箱 (ごみばこ Gomi-bako)
Garbage Net
ゴミネット (ごみねっと Gomi Net)
A net to protect garbage from crows pecking
Crows
カラス (からす Karasu)
