How to Throw Away a TV, Refrigerator, Washing Machine or Air Conditioner in Japan: Disposal Methods and Fees for the 4 Items Covered by the Home Appliance Recycling Act

2026-10-19

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This article was written by the NIPPON VISA & LIFE editorial team based on information from public organizations such as the national government and local governments. Rules and fees may differ depending on the city, ward, town or village where you live.

In Japan, air conditioners, TVs, refrigerators and freezers, and washing machines and clothes dryers are the “4 types of home appliances” whose recycling is required by a law called the Home Appliance Recycling Act. They are thrown away in a different way from regular garbage (for example, Shinjuku City and Osaka City do not collect them as oversized garbage). The basic way is to ask a store to pick them up, and a recycling fee and a collection and transportation fee are charged.

The overall rules for sorting garbage are summarized in How to Sort and Put Out Garbage in Japan: Basic Rules for Burnable, Recyclable and Oversized Garbage, and large garbage such as furniture is covered in How to Put Out Oversized Garbage in Japan: Basics of Applying, Disposal Tickets (Stickers), and the Day and Place to Put It Out.

Table of Contents

What Are the 4 Types of Home Appliances?

The Home Appliance Recycling Act covers the following 4 types of household appliances (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry).

Air conditioners
TVs (cathode-ray tube, liquid crystal, OLED and plasma types)
Electric refrigerators and electric freezers
Electric washing machines and clothes dryers

Appliances for business use are not covered. On the other hand, household appliances are covered even if they were used at a company or similar place.

The list from the Association for Electric Home Appliances (RKC Center) divides items as follows, for example.

	Examples of items covered	Examples of items not covered
Air conditioners	Wall-mounted, floor-standing, and window types attached to a window	Types built into the ceiling, spot air conditioners, air coolers, dehumidifiers
TVs	Liquid crystal, OLED, plasma and cathode-ray tube TVs	Display monitors (such as computer monitors)
Refrigerators and freezers	Refrigerators, freezers, wine cellars, portable refrigerators	Showcases for shops, ice makers
Washing machines and clothes dryers	Fully automatic washing machines, twin-tub washing machines, washer-dryers, clothes dryers	Futon dryers, spin dryers

If you are not sure whether an item is covered, check the Association for Electric Home Appliances’ “List of Covered Waste (4 Types of Home Appliances)” or ask the manufacturer of the product.

(Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Home Appliance Recycling System FAQ”, Association for Electric Home Appliances, RKC Center “List of Covered Waste (4 Types of Home Appliances)”)

The Short Answer: 4 Ways to Throw Them Away

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry gives the following ways.

When replacing the appliance: Ask the store where you buy the new product to pick up the old one
When only throwing it away: Ask the store where you bought that product to pick it up
When you do not know where you bought it: Throw it away in the way your city, ward, town or village tells you
When you can carry it yourself: Pay the recycling fee at a post office and take the item yourself to the manufacturer’s “designated collection site” (a place that receives home appliances for recycling)

If you do not know the store, some stores will pick up appliances even when they are not required to. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry says you may also consult a store near you.

(Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Quick Guide to the ‘Proper Disposal’ of the 4 Types of Home Appliances!”, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Home Appliance Recycling System FAQ”)

Fees

When you throw away one of the 4 types of home appliances, you (the person throwing it away) pay the following fees.

Fee	What it is for	Who decides the amount
Recycling fee	A fee for the manufacturer to recycle the item	The manufacturer (differs by item, size and manufacturer)
Collection and transportation fee	A fee for the store or other business to carry the appliance to the designated collection site	The retailer, such as the store

You can look up the recycling fee by manufacturer and item in the Association for Electric Home Appliances’ “Recycling Fee List.” For TVs, the fee depends on the screen size, and for refrigerators and freezers, it depends on the internal volume (how much fits inside).
The collection and transportation fee differs by store. Stores are supposed to publish their fees in the store or on their website. Ask the store before you make a request.
If you take the item to the designated collection site yourself, no collection and transportation fee is charged.

When you pay, you receive a “home appliance recycling ticket.” Keep the copy of this ticket and do not throw it away (see “I want to check that it was properly recycled” below).

(Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Home Appliance Recycling System FAQ”, Ministry of the Environment “Do Not Use ‘Unlicensed’ Collectors to Dispose of Waste!”)

Methods 1 and 2: Ask a Store to Pick It Up

Ask the store where you are buying a replacement, or the store where you bought that product, to pick it up. The pickup method differs by store, so ask the store.
On the agreed date and time, the store or a business hired by the store comes to your home to pick it up.
Fill in the necessary information on the home appliance recycling ticket (either when they come to pick it up or at the store).
When you hand over the appliance, receive the copy of the home appliance recycling ticket.

A store is required to pick up products that the store sold in the past and products of the same type when you replace them. For example, if you ask the store where you bought a TV to pick up a refrigerator you no longer need, the store is not required to pick it up. If it is the same type, such as when you buy a liquid crystal TV and put out an old cathode-ray tube TV, the store is required to do so.

Before handing the appliance over, take out the food in the refrigerator, the clothes in the washing machine, and so on. If items are left inside, the store can use this as a reason to refuse the pickup.

Method 3: When You Do Not Know Where You Bought It

Throw it away in the way your city, ward, town or village tells you. The method differs by municipality, so check the website of the city, ward, town or village where you live. For example, Shinjuku City and Osaka City do not collect the 4 types of home appliances as oversized garbage.

Example: Shinjuku City, Tokyo: If you cannot hand the item over to a store, apply to the “Home Appliance Recycling Reception Center” (phone: 0570-08-7200). You pay the recycling fee and the collection and transportation fee to the collector who comes to pick up the item.
Example: Osaka City: The city does not pick up or carry the 4 types of home appliances. After paying the recycling fee at a post office, either carry the item yourself to a designated collection site or, if you cannot carry it, ask a business with a permit from Osaka City for the collection and transportation of general waste (garbage) to carry it. The city’s website has a list of permitted businesses for each ward. Transportation fees differ by business.

(Sources: Shinjuku City “How to Put Out the 4 Types of Home Appliances (Air Conditioners, TVs, Refrigerators/Freezers, Washing Machines/Clothes Dryers)”, Osaka City “How to Put Out Items Covered by the Home Appliance Recycling Act”)

Method 4: Pay the Fee at a Post Office and Carry the Item Yourself to a Designated Collection Site

Check the manufacturer’s name of the appliance you are throwing away. For TVs, also check the screen size, and for refrigerators and freezers, also check the internal volume (the “total rated internal volume” is written on a sticker on the inside of the refrigerator door).
At a post office, get a “home appliance recycling ticket (post office payment type),” fill in the necessary information, and pay the recycling fee. A transfer fee is charged separately. Some simplified post offices may not have the tickets, so ask the post office in advance.
If you paid at the counter, have the payment receipt certificate (furikae haraikomi uketsuke shomeisho) stamped with the date and attach it to the “designated collection site copy” of the ticket. If you paid at an ATM, attach a copy of the transaction statement.
Take the appliance together with the home appliance recycling ticket to the designated collection site.

No reservation is needed, but sites have days when they are closed, so check the business days and reception hours with the designated collection site in advance.
You can find a designated collection site near you with the Association for Electric Home Appliances’ “Designated Collection Site Search.”
With this method, no collection and transportation fee is charged.

Troubles and Common Mistakes

Can I use trucks or flyers that say “we collect for free”?

Be careful. Some of these unwanted item collection businesses collect garbage without a permit. Household garbage can only be collected by businesses with a general waste collection and transportation business permit from the city, ward, town or village, or by businesses contracted by the municipality. An “industrial waste disposal business permit” or a “secondhand dealer permit” alone does not allow a business to collect household garbage (Ministry of the Environment).

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry explains that when items are handed over to businesses without a permit, there have been cases of illegal dumping, harmful substances leaking out, and fires. There are also troubles where the business first says it is “free” but demands a large amount of money after loading the items. Do not hand over the 4 types of home appliances to an unwanted item collection business whose permit or contract from the municipality cannot be confirmed (this does not mean the businesses that come when you ask a store or your municipal office).

If you have trouble, you can consult the Consumer Hotline “188” (a number that guides you to a nearby Consumer Affairs Center or similar office).

(Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Quick Guide to the ‘Proper Disposal’ of the 4 Types of Home Appliances!”, Ministry of the Environment “Do Not Use ‘Unlicensed’ Collectors to Dispose of Waste!”, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Home Appliance Recycling System FAQ”, National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (NCAC) “Troubles with Unwanted Item Collection Services”)

Can I take it apart myself before putting it out?

Please do not. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry says it is difficult to have appliances that have been taken apart, or only the removed parts, picked up. This is because it gets in the way of recycling and is also not good for safety.

(Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Home Appliance Recycling System FAQ”)

It still works, so I want to sell it

There is also a way to have someone else use the product again (reuse). The Ministry of the Environment advises that you ask a trustworthy reuse shop or similar business that has a secondhand dealer permit to buy it as a secondhand item.

(Sources: Ministry of the Environment “Do Not Use ‘Unlicensed’ Collectors to Dispose of Waste!”)

I want to check that it was properly recycled

The home appliance recycling ticket has an “inquiry control slip number” (otoiawase kanri-hyo bango) written on it. If you enter this number on the RKC Center’s website (pickup confirmation for people throwing items away), you can check whether the item was properly handed over to the manufacturer.

(Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Home Appliance Recycling System FAQ”)

What about computers and other appliances that are not among the 4 types?

Many home appliances that are not covered by the Home Appliance Recycling Act are covered by the Small Home Appliance Recycling Act. The items collected and the collection methods differ by municipality, so follow the guidance of the city, ward, town or village where you live. Computer monitors are handled as part of computer recycling.

I want to throw away several appliances at once because I am moving

The pickup date is decided with the store or business, so once your moving date is decided, make your request early. Procedures before and after moving are summarized in Checklist for Moving Within Japan: moving-out notification, moving-in notification, residence card, electricity, gas and water, and mail forwarding.

Where to Ask

How to throw away the 4 types of home appliances, fees, and designated collection sites: Association for Electric Home Appliances, RKC Center, phone 0120-319640 (toll-free. If you cannot get through, call 03-5249-3455, charged). Weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and the Association for Electric Home Appliances’ holidays).
When you do not know a store that will pick it up: The garbage section of the city, ward, town or village where you live.
Legal matters, such as the obligations of stores and manufacturers: The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

If you search online for “(name of your city, ward, town or village) 家電リサイクル,” you can find your municipality’s guidance.

(Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Home Appliance Recycling Act (Act on Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances)”)

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Primary Sources Used for This Article

This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.

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NIPPON VISA & LIFE 編集部

NIPPON VISA & LIFE編集部です。日本で暮らす外国人のみなさんに向けて、ごみ出し・交通・病院・役所の手続などの暮らしの情報と、入管・在留に関する公的機関の発表を、11言語でお届けしています。記事は、国や自治体などの公的機関の情報をもとに作成しています。

The NIPPON VISA & LIFE editorial team provides practical information for foreign residents in Japan — garbage sorting, transportation, hospitals and city hall procedures — as well as announcements from public agencies on immigration and residence, in 11 languages. Our articles are based on information from national and local government agencies.