Dispose of bulky waste before leaving a Tokyo apartment

Ask the apartment operator before disposing of any large item. Furnished items may belong to the unit. Your ward will not decide ownership for you.

For your own item, follow three levels: ward, building, operator.

Identify 粗大ごみ before booking

粗大ごみ (sodai gomi — large-sized household waste collected by reservation and fee) is not the same as ordinary burnable or non-burnable rubbish.

Shibuya currently treats furniture and other items larger than about 30 cm square as large-sized waste. Other wards set their own definitions and fees. Use the page for the apartment's ward, not a guide for the ward where you work.

Measure the item. Write its ordinary name in Japanese and English. Photograph it.

Then ask the operator:

I bought this chair during my stay. It is not part of the apartment inventory. May I arrange ward bulky-waste collection from the building? If yes, where may I place it on collection morning?

Do not include a supplied chair, table, appliance, remote, or rack in the request unless the operator confirms ownership and disposal in writing.

Reserve before buying the sticker

Shibuya's current English waste page requires an advance reservation through the Large-Sized Waste Reception Center. The reservation gives the collection date and fee.

Book online or by the ward's current phone channel. Use the apartment address and the exact item. One “shelf” can have a different fee from another size.

Do not buy a random sticker first. The reservation determines the amount.

Collection slots can fall after checkout. Start before the final week. If the available date is too late, ask the operator whether an approved private service or another lawful route is available. Do not move the item to the regular rubbish point.

Buy and label the exact fee

Purchase the ward's large-waste fee sticker at an authorized convenience store or other listed seller. Buy the value stated in the reservation.

Write the required name or reservation number on it. Attach it where collection staff can see it without moving the item.

Keep the reservation confirmation and a photograph of the sticker. A fee sticker from another ward or for the wrong amount does not fix the booking.

Cashless procedures may use a different label. Follow the confirmation you received rather than copying an older photograph online.

Use the building's placement point

Ward approval does not authorize leaving an item in a corridor, lift lobby, rubbish room, or beside the street on the wrong day.

Shibuya tells residents of multi-unit housing to place bulky waste near the roadside on the first floor. It collects from the applicant's residence, not the normal rubbish collection point. The current Shibuya instruction says to put the item out by 8:00 on the collection morning.

Your building may name a more exact point. Ask the operator or building manager. Keep fire doors, paths, and entrances clear.

Move the item at the allowed time. Do not leave it overnight unless the building gives written approval.

Appliances use another route

In Shibuya, air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, and dryers do not enter the ordinary bulky-waste system. The ward directs these designated appliances to retailer or home-appliance recycling routes. Computers also use a separate manufacturer recycling path.

Do not break an appliance into smaller pieces to change its category. Do not remove an operator-owned appliance.

For batteries, gas cylinders, chemicals, and other hazardous items, use the ward's named route. Size is not the only rule.

If collection fails

If the item remains after the stated window, take a photograph and contact the reception center or operator. Check the date, address, sticker value, label, and placement point.

Do not move it into the ordinary rubbish room. Do not add it to another building's pile.

If you missed the collection morning, bring the item back inside only when it is safe and the building permits it. Rebook. Tell the operator before checkout if the new date falls after your departure.

No shame. Fix the record and the date.

The collection-morning rule

• Confirm the item is yours.
• Check the current ward category.
• Reserve the exact item and address.
• Buy or register the exact fee.
• Label the item as instructed.
• Use the building's approved first-floor point by the stated time.
• Keep the confirmation until the item is gone.

A large item leaves only when ownership, ward booking, and building placement all say yes.