Trash and Bills

Taking out the trash

Probably one of the first things you'll notice about Japan is the lack of trashcans. This is because Japan is very particular on when and what to throw away. Every city differs on their garbage disposal rules. For Tomakomai trash is sorted as: burnable, non-burnable, plastics, PET bottles/aluminum cans, and paper. Not only this but the trash schedule depends on where you live in Tomakomai! So for you it might be burnable trash day, but for another person in the same city, it could be plastics for them! It is kind of overhwelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it isn't too bad. Thankfully there is an app where you can input the street you live on and they will give you the schedule, another nice feature on the app is that if you're unsure on how to dispose of something, you can type the item in the search box and it will give you instructions! The app is called "苫小牧ごみ分別アプリ「０５３City」". This app has saved me many times when I was unsure on how to throw something out, it also helps me keep track of what trash is allowed to be thrown out that day!
Also note that for burnable and non-burnable trash, you need to purchase special trash bags that are white and purple. You can typically buy these at any gorcery or drug store here! For all other trash, you can just use clear plastic trashbags.

This is the bag used for burnable trash. You can buy these at conbinis, supermarkets, and drugstores!