How to throw out garbage in Minato City, Tokyo: an English guide

Minato City has its own English materials. These are the three I find most useful.

• One-page sorting chart (English, PDF) — all the groups on one page, with pictures. It has blank boxes for your own collection days. Print it, write in your days, and put it on the fridge or near your trash bins.
• Waste Sorting Guidebook (English, PDF, about 8 MB) — the full guide, with a list of items at the back.
• Minato City waste sorting app (free, iOS and Android) — search any item, check the collection days for your address, and get reminders.

If a link doesn't open, the city may have updated the file. Find the latest version on the city's guidebook page (in Japanese; the English files are listed there).

Put your garbage out by 8:00 a.m. on the collection day, at your building's collection point. In some areas the time is 7:30 a.m. Don't put it out the night before.

Collection days depend on your address. The easiest way to check is the free Minato City waste sorting app (iOS and Android). It shows the days for your area and can send you a reminder.

Use a bag you can see through, or a container with a lid. You don't need a special city bag. Don't put small bags inside the big one, and don't double-bag.

Things that often confuse people:

• Rinse plastics. Dirty plastic that you can't clean goes in combustible waste.
• Spray cans and lighters: empty them, put them in a separate bag, and write キケン ("danger") on it. Put them out on the incombustible day.
• Broken glass and knives: wrap them in paper and write キケン on the bag.
• Rechargeable batteries (lithium-ion, including power banks): put them out on the incombustible day (since September 2025). Cover the metal ends with tape, and use a separate see-through bag. Never put them in plastics or burnable trash — they can start fires.
• Button batteries: use the collection boxes in electronics shops. Coin batteries, and button batteries marked "mercury-free" (水銀0使用), can go out on the incombustible day with their ends taped.

Anything with a side of 30 cm or more is large-sized waste (粗大ごみ / sodai gomi). You need to book it and pay a small fee.

1. Book with the Minato Large-sized Waste Center. Online or by AI chatbot (24 hours), or by phone: 03-6747-9253 (Monday–Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.). You'll get a collection date, the fee, and a 5-digit reception number.
2. Buy Minato City fee tickets (有料粗大ごみ処理券) at a convenience store or supermarket. Tickets from other wards don't work. You can't pay in cash on the day.
3. Write your name or reception number and the date on the ticket, and stick it on the item.
4. Put the item out by 8:00 a.m. on your collection day, at the place you were told.

Example fees: a futon or chair ¥400, a desk ¥1,300, a sofa for two or more ¥2,300. The center tells you the exact fee when you book.

Book early. The city says it takes about two weeks from booking to collection. Before a move, book as soon as you know your date.

You can also take items yourself to the Shibaura facility on Sundays only, after booking. You must bring ID showing a Minato City address.

If you have much more household garbage than usual (for example, before a move), you can't just put it all out on collection day.

1. Call the Minato Recycling and Waste Management Office: 03-3450-8025. Tell them the type and number of bags.
2. They give you a collection date and the fee.
3. Buy Minato City fee ticket B (¥300). Stick one ticket on each 45-liter bag.

Sort the garbage as usual. Large items still need a separate large-sized waste booking. Call well before your move — the city may not be able to help with last-minute requests.

• Air conditioners, TVs, fridges, washing machines, and computers. See Things the city won't collect.
• Soil, sand, stones, bricks, and concrete blocks. This surprises many people. Soil from your plants is not "garbage," so the city won't take it. Use a specialist company (the city lists some on its website). Minato City also collects plant soil (and futons) for free once a year at the Eco-Life Fair MINATO in Arisugawa Park. It's usually held in May (in 2026, it was on May 16). Check the city's website for the next date. Empty plant pots can go out as regular garbage (30 cm or more: large-sized waste).
• You can't cut up a large item to put it out as regular garbage.

You can, but be careful. Minato City warns about companies that advertise "free pickup" and then charge high fees. To collect household waste for a fee, a company needs a permit from the city. Ask: "Do you have a permit to collect household waste in Minato City?" The city publishes a list of permitted companies (in Japanese; the list is a PDF on that page). Companies marked ※ are based in Minato City. Some companies may not be taking new customers.

• Minato Recycling and Waste Management Office: 03-3450-8025
• Minato City has a three-way phone service with an interpreter for other languages.
• Your building manager or landlord can tell you where your collection point is.