Sorting Waste in Kawasaki City¶

Kawasaki City has a detailed waste sorting system with 8 categories, each collected on specific days. Getting it wrong means your bag gets left behind with a sticker explaining why. This page is a practical English reference based on the official 2026 guide (令和れいわ8年版ねんばん).

Starting April 2026, plastic product recycling (プラスチック資源プラスチックしげん) is expanded city-wide, simplifying plastic sorting significantly.

General Rules¶

• Put waste out by 8:00 AM on collection day at your designated collection point (集積所しゅうせきじょ).
• Officially, waste should not be put out the night before or after collection. In practice, most people put it out the evening before.
• Collection happens on holidays too (except January 1-3).
• Collection may be cancelled during typhoons or heavy snow; check the city website.
• During disasters: keep sorting as usual. Regular waste collection typically resumes ~3 days after a major disaster. Do not place cleanup waste on roads, as it blocks emergency vehicles.
• Incorrectly sorted items may not be collected. Resources are hand-sorted at the processing center, so correct sorting helps.

Collection Categories¶

Plastic Resources (プラスチック資源プラスチックしげん) — Once a Week¶

New from April 2026: plastic products and plastic containers/packaging are now collected together for recycling.

What goes in:

• Plastic containers, trays, cups, bottles, tubes
• Food packaging, wrap, bags, caps, lids
• Stationery (rulers, clear files, etc.)
• Bathroom items (brushes, shampoo bottles, etc.)
• Any plastic item under 50 cm, regardless of whether it has the プラ mark

How to dispose:

1. Empty and lightly rinse or wipe off residue
2. Put in a clear or semi-transparent bag
3. Items larger than 50 cm: cut to fit, or dispose as regular waste

Not accepted:

• Items with batteries or electronics (e.g., electric toothbrushes)
• Items with blades (razors, box cutters)
• Items containing magnets
• Lithium-ion battery devices (smartphones, portable chargers)
• Reinforced plastics (helmets, body protectors)
• Lighters

Mixed Paper (ミックスペーパー) — Once a Week¶

All paper that doesn't go in community group collection (newspapers, magazines, cardboard, old clothes).

What goes in:

• Envelopes, wrapping paper, paper bags, postcards
• Notebooks, calendars, tissue boxes, toilet paper rolls
• Photos, paper cups (plastic-coated), coated paper
• Receipts, carbon paper, shredded paper

How to dispose:

• Wrap in a paper bag, wrapping paper, or tie with string
• Shredded paper: put in a transparent bag so it's identifiable

Not accepted:

• Heavily soiled or wet paper
• Paper with strong odors

Cans & PET Bottles (空あき缶かん・ペットボトル) — Once a Week¶

Cans: beverage cans, food cans, confectionery cans, used spray cans.

PET bottles: beverages, alcohol, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin (must have the PET mark ).

How to dispose:

1. Rinse inside lightly
2. For PET bottles: remove the cap and label
3. Crush if possible
4. Put in a clear or semi-transparent bag by 8:00 AM

Cap sorting:

Glass Bottles (空あきびん) — Once a Week¶

Beverage bottles, seasoning bottles, cooking oil bottles.

How to dispose:

1. Remove caps
2. Rinse inside
3. Place in the dedicated bottle container (空あきびん専用せんようかご) at the collection point, not in bags
4. If no dedicated container, put in a clear bag separately from cans/PET bottles

Not accepted (goes to regular waste as ワレモノ):

• Broken glass, ceramics, mirrors
• Cosmetics bottles, medicine bottles
• Light bulbs

Used Dry Batteries (使用済しようずみ乾電池かんでんち) — Once a Week (Resource Day)¶

Single-use batteries only: alkaline, manganese, and lithium primary cells (AA, AAA, coin cells, etc.).

Put in a clear bag and leave at the resource collection point.

Regular Waste (普通ふつうごみ) — Twice a Week¶

Everything that doesn't belong in another category.

What goes in:

• Kitchen waste (drain well first)
• Small branches and wood (under 50 cm)
• Disposable lighters, matches (use up first)
• Heavily soiled paper
• Diapers (remove contents)
• Rubber, leather items

How to dispose:

• Use a clear or semi-transparent bag with a lid/tie
• Put out by 8:00 AM at the collection point (集積所しゅうせきじょ), not the resource point

Special items:

Small Metal Items (小物金属こものきんぞく) — Twice a Month¶

Metal items under 30 cm: pots, pans, frying pans, kettles, hangers, scissors, tools, clocks, toasters, hair dryers, irons, etc.

How to dispose:

• Do not put in bags; place items as-is at the collection point
• Tape sharp edges (knives, scissors)
• If the longest side exceeds 30 cm, it goes to oversized waste

Also on small metals day: rechargeable batteries

Lithium-ion, Ni-Cd, and nickel-metal hydride batteries:

1. Insulate terminals with tape
2. Put in a clear bag labeled 充電池じゅうでんち, リチウム, or モバイルバッテリー
3. Damaged or swollen batteries: keep separate from others

JBRC also accepts rechargeable batteries at retail drop-off points: jbrc.com / TEL 03-6403-5673.

Oversized Waste (粗大そだいごみ) — Twice a Month, Paid, By Appointment¶

Items over 30 cm that were used at home (furniture, appliances, sports equipment, etc.).

Fees:

Items the City Does Not Collect¶

These require special disposal channels:

Small electronics and PCs can also be collected via home delivery through ReNet Japan: TEL 0570-085-800.

Other Services¶

Animal Carcass Disposal (動物どうぶつの死体したい)¶

Contact your local Life Environment Office (生活環境事業所せいかつかんきょうじぎょうしょ). Fee is ¥3,000 per animal. Animals are cremated, not disposed of in regular waste.

Drop-off Collection Points (拠点回収きょてんかいしゅう)¶

Ward offices and public facilities have permanent drop-off boxes for:

• Small electronics: items that fit through a 30cm x 15cm slot (remote controls, calculators, small gadgets, etc.)
• Old clothes and fabric: reusable clothing, towels, sheets
• Milk cartons: rinsed, cut open, and dried (most supermarkets also have collection boxes for these)

Ink Cartridge Return Project¶

Used ink cartridges from home printers can be returned at post offices and city facilities. This is a joint program between major printer manufacturers (Canon, Epson, Brother, HP, etc.).

Fureai Collection (ふれあい収集しゅうしゅう)¶

For elderly (65+) or disabled residents who cannot bring waste to the collection point. The city will collect from your door. Contact your local Life Environment Office (生活環境事業所せいかつかんきょうじぎょうしょ) to apply.

Food Drive (フードドライブ)¶

Kawasaki runs food donation drop-offs to reduce food waste. Accepted items include canned goods, seasonings, cooking oil, instant foods, retort pouches, beverages, and gift sets. Items must be unopened, at least 2 months before expiry, and storable at room temperature. Alcohol is excluded.

Community Group Collection (資源集団回収しげんしゅうだんかいしゅう)¶

Neighborhood associations and PTAs organize periodic collection of newspapers, magazines, cardboard, milk cartons, old clothes, and returnable bottles. Schedules vary by area.

Life Environment Offices (生活環境事業所せいかつかんきょうじぎょうしょ)¶

Open Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM - 4:45 PM (closed December 31 - January 3).

Resource Theft Prohibition (資源物しげんぶつの持もち去さり禁止きんし)¶

Sorting Index (ごみの分別ごみのぶんべつに迷まよったら)¶

The booklet includes a 4-page alphabetical index listing hundreds of items and their correct category. Rather than reproducing it here, use the 川崎市かわさきしごみ分別ぶんべつアプリ (waste sorting app) which has the same data with search:

• App Store
• Google Play

Some commonly confusing items:

Quick Reference Card¶