Hey all,
After a quick search, I was unable to find any info on where to throw away my old electronics. I’ve been in Japan for a while and have accumulated several phones, cameras, and other miscellaneous items that I don’t know what to do with. They are completely useless except for perhaps parts. Is there any electronics d.i.y. creator’s base or something that could use the stuff for parts? If not, where can I dispose of them?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi
maybe it depends on which ward/district you live in, they may offer some disposal service. I live in kanagawa and my district offers us free disposal every few weeks, highlighted in some large guide to waste disposal.
otherwise you could post on craigslist but you’d have to arrange for people to come and get it off you.
I’m in Meguro. There’s a trash date 2 times monthly for miscellaneous non-burnable trash. I thought it was more for aerosol cans and the like, but I suppose these sort of things may get picked up since they are small enough. Still, I wish there was a way to have them recycled for parts.
I don’t know where to write this but I would like to suggest to Tokyo Cheapo to update this article " 5 Ways to Recycle or Dispose of Stuff Cheaply in Tokyo" 5 Ways to Recycle or Dispose of Stuff in Tokyo | Tokyo Cheapo
Isn’t there any 粗大物買取屋 too or something? I mean companies with trucks who come and pickup your electronics for either a fee or maybe they even pay you? I get a lot of flyers in my postbox about that but I don’t understand if YOU pay them or if THEY pay you.
It’s such a waste with all these wooden shelves a k a “COLOR BOX” カラーボックス or the clothing chests made in plastic which cant be taken apart (it is delivered whole) and people throw them away so much you can see one everyday if you walk a lot.
Thanks for the info. The free recycling of electronics might depend on the city you live in, but will check it out.
In my experience the 廃品回収車 are a bit of a scam. They’ll only take stuff for free that they can sell for quite a bit. Every time I’ve talked to them they’ve told me I have to pay for them to take something away. Also, I’d be very hesitant to give them a computer, unless you have used some software to completely “shred” the hard drive. I usually remove the hard drives before disposing of computers just because the consequences of someone extracting all my passwords are too high.
For computer recycling, the best service is
The site is all in Japanese. It does not matter whether the PC is broken, no HDD, etc.
They will dispatch Sagawa Kyubin delivery service to pick up your old pc, and you can include your old phones, etc. along with the PC.
The only “catch” is they try to earn money by “offering” to wipe your hard drive for Y3,500.
Just say “no thanks” to the request.
You cannot create your account until you schedule the items and a pick up date.
After you create your account, you will be able to download some free disc drive wiping software, it is safe to use. Also, you will be able to schedule future disposals in the future.
Please note, this service is only available to individuals, not companies. The size / weight limit of the box is 140 CM not over 20 Kilos. You can use any box or wrapping materials. I always get boxes at the local grocery store or drug store and cut them down to size as needed.
There are packing instructions the site as well
A complete list of items you can recycle with them for free.
I recommend asking a Japanese friend to help with completing the task (I am sure the Japanese will be surprised by this site as they had no clue and have been spending lots of effort disposing of items), or use Google Chrome and Google Translate.
My friend used it last week and was very impressed. You get to choose the pick up date and about 5 to 6 time slots per day.
Enjoy your recycling the easy way!