Cans, Glass Bottles, PET Bottles can be recycled. If you put them out as non-burnable garbage instead of recycling them, they become landfill. Please pay attention to what you are throwing out, and make sure you recycle all cans, bottles, and PET bottles, except for ones that are extremely dirty (which can be thrown out as non-burnable garbage).
Before you throw something out, think about whether it can be re-used in some way. If you can't use it yourself, you can bring it to a recycle shop or the Tsukuba Recycle Hiroba where they can try to find a new owner. If the item is truly not able to be re-used and it is fairly large, bring it directly to the Tsukuba Clean Center for disposal. The Clean Center is open from 8:30 to 16:30 (M-F) and on Saturdays from 8:30 to 11:30.
Some supermarkets and department stores accept milk cartons and styrofoam trays for recycling. If the items you want to dispose of are still in good condition, you are advised to give them to someone who needs them, or to sell them to a recycle shop or at a flea market. Please do your best to reduce the amount of garbage you create.
Grocery stores and elementary schools offer places for the collection of paper milk cartons. Last year local elementary schools collected 1.6 tonnes of cartons, which was turned into more than 8500 rolls of toilet paper! An additional 2.6 tonnes were collected within the city. Please be sure to recycle your milk and juice cartons!
Recycle fairs are occasionally held beside the pond at Chuo Koen (near the public library). They are strictly for amateurs, so businesses may not apply. There is a small fee for sellers. It is of course free to attend the recycle market as a buyer! To sell, contact the Recycle Promotion Group (between 6 and 9pm).
The City collects items such as used paper, cloth, cans, and bottles and recycles them into new materials. These recyclable goods have become valuable resources for the City. Recently, there have been reports of people stealing piles of newspapers or used cans. In order to prevent people from stealing these resources, please clearly mark your recyclable garbage with the words "FOR TSUKUBA - DON'T STEAL". (You don't have to do it, but it will help the city if you do.)
In order to encourage the recycling of disused household items, as well as to decrease the amount of garbage being thrown away, the City will begin a "Recycling" bulletin board program. This program will facilitate the giving away of unwanted furniture, electronic appliances, and other items, in order to get them into the hands of those who are in need of them. It is the intention that all items are to be given away for free.
Kasuga Community Center, Tsukuba Capio, Kukizaki City Hall Branch, the website for the Recycling Division of City Hall.
A "posting" card can be obtained at the above locations. It can also be downloaded from the website mentioned above. There are 2 types of posting cards: a Sashiagemasu Card and a Kiboushimasu Card. The former is to be used by item donors. The later is for posters seeking a particular item. On a card, posters are required to fill in a description of the item, as well as contact information, including Name, Phone, Address, and Email. With the exception of your banchi and first name, all other information will be included in the posting. Fill in the card and send it in by FAX/mail or apply in person. Participants must be city residents aged 20 years+. Postings will stay up for a month.
Items which are designated with a price, are for-profit, as well as food, medicine, plants and animals, land, and any items which will negatively affect society-at-large will be rejected.
Notes: Persons who would like to obtain or offer an item mentioned on a posting card are asked to contact the item donor or seeker directly in order to discuss delivery and other details. The City will limit its involvement to the management of the bulletin board program. It will not get involved in disputes between parties, act as a negotiator, nor will it offer any storage facilities.
Contact: Recycling Division
According to a new law on recycling Designated Household Appliance Waste Products, five designated items - TVs, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, and freezers are no longer collected at the designated garbage collection sites as they had previously been. You may not dispose of them as "oversize garbage". To dispose of any of these items, please check with the retailer from whom you bought the item or the retailer from whom you buy new items. A list of participating stores can be found on page 7 of the December 1, 2004 issue of the Japanese newsletter (Kouhou Tsukuba). Please note that you need to pay for recycling and transportation of the items.
Computers must now be recycled, not thrown away. If your computer was bought after October 1, 2003, you will have to pay to dispose of your computer. Models built after that date will be accepted for recycle by the manufacturer at no extra charge. Because of this new system, Tsukuba City will no longer accept used computers on garbage days or directly at the Clean Center. Please contact the Recycling Division for more information.
While funds allow, the City will provide subsidies to individuals who purchase equipment that will break down kitchen waste. You can receive a certain amount towards purchasing outdoor composting equipment or electronic composting equipment. There is a limited amount of money to go towards these subsidies, so once it is used up, the subsidy will no longer be available. The application form is available at http://www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp/hp/041000/namagomiyousiki.pdf
The city is holding a poster contest about garbage and recycling. There will be prizes for elementary (upper and lower grades) and junior high school students. Entries must be on A4 or B3 paper. Deadline is September 2nd. Contact the Recycling Division for more information.
Topics: Garbage
Relevant for: Newcomers, Residents
Please note: While all efforts have been made to offer accurate and up-to-date information on this site, the information is presented as a guideline and is subject to change without notification. Phone numbers, addresses, and/or policies may have changed since this page was created. Please contact the appropriate section of the City Hall for confirmation of information and city policies.