DashiteneGarbage day in Japan: how collection schedules work
October 6, 2026 · Dashitene
Moving to Japan means learning your ward's garbage rules: what goes out, on which day, by what time. This guide explains how Japanese collection schedules are written, where people get them wrong, and how to never miss a pickup.
The usual categories
- Burnable (燃えるごみ / 可燃ごみ): kitchen waste, paper scraps. Usually twice a week.
- Non-burnable (燃えないごみ / 不燃ごみ): metal, ceramics, small appliances. Often once or twice a month.
- Plastic (プラスチック / プラ): packaging marked プラ. Usually weekly.
- Bottles & cans (びん・缶), PET bottles (ペットボトル): rinsed, labels and caps off.
- Paper & cardboard (古紙・段ボール): tied with string.
- Oversized (粗大ごみ): by appointment, with a paid sticker.
Names and colors differ by city; your ward's calendar (ごみカレンダー) is the source of truth. Most areas expect garbage out by 8:00–8:30 on the collection morning, not the night before.
How the days are written
- 毎週 月・木 — every Monday and Thursday.
- 第1・第3水曜日 — the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month.
- 第2週・第4週の木曜日 — the Thursday in the 2nd and 4th rows of the calendar.
- 隔週 — every other week; you need a starting date.
- 隔月 — every other month, e.g. only odd months.
The trap: “1st Wednesday” vs “Wednesday of week 1”
They're the same in most months, but not when the month starts on Thursday or later: then the first calendar row has no Wednesday. In October 2026 (the 1st is a Thursday), the “1st Wednesday” is October 7, while “Wednesday of week 1” doesn't exist and “Wednesday of week 2” is October 7.
| Month | Starts on | Weekdays where the two counts differ |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | Thu | Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed |
| Nov 2026 | Sun | none |
| Dec 2026 | Tue | Sun, Mon |
| Jan 2027 | Fri | Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu |
| Feb 2027 | Mon | Sun |
| Mar 2027 | Mon | Sun |
| Apr 2027 | Thu | Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed |
| May 2027 | Sat | Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri |
| Jun 2027 | Tue | Sun, Mon |
| Jul 2027 | Thu | Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed |
| Aug 2027 | Sun | none |
| Sep 2027 | Wed | Sun, Mon, Tue |
| Oct 2027 | Fri | Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu |
| Nov 2027 | Mon | Sun |
| Dec 2027 | Wed | Sun, Mon, Tue |
Holidays and the New Year break
Most cities collect on national holidays, some don't. Almost all stop over the New Year (around Dec 31 – Jan 3), and some restart their week count in January. Check the notice your ward posts in December.
Never miss it
Dashitene is an iPhone app (in English and Japanese) built for exactly this. Enter each type the way your ward's calendar writes it, including nth weekday, week N, every other week or month. It reminds you the evening before and/or the morning of, handles holidays and the New Year break, and can ring as a real alarm even on Silent. One person sets it up and shares a link with the household.