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To ask how to sort one household item, show it or a photo and say これは何ごみですか (“What type of waste is this?”). Confirm the municipality, category, required bag, and any special preparation. Waste categories are local rules: the same item can be handled differently in another city or building.
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One item, one local rule
Leo copies a sorting label he remembers from another city.
Leoこれは燃えるごみです。
This is burnable waste.
Maya notices that the local sign uses different categories.
Mayaこの市のルールを見ましょう。
Let's check this city's rules.
Leo shows the item to the building manager and asks for its category.
Leoこれは何ごみですか。
What type of waste is this?
He repeats the category, bag, and preparation instruction.
Leo資源ごみで、中を洗いますね。
Recyclable waste, and I rinse it, right?
Dialogue remains selectable HTML. The illustrations contain no dependable generated text.
Name or show one item
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
これは何ごみですか | kore wa nan-gomi desu ka | What type of waste is this? | Show one item |
この容器です | kono yōki desu | It is this container | Point to the material or package |
燃えるごみですか | moeru gomi desu ka | Is it burnable waste? | Confirm a local label |
粗大ごみですか | sodai gomi desu ka | Is it bulky waste? | Ask before leaving a large item |
Do not identify a mixed-material item only by its English name. Show the actual item, size, label, and condition.
Understand the local category
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
燃えるごみ | moeru gomi | burnable waste | A local category label |
燃えないごみ | moenai gomi | non-burnable waste | A local category label |
資源ごみ | shigen gomi | recyclable resources | May be divided further |
回収できません | kaishū dekimasen | It cannot be collected | Another disposal route is required |
The English gloss helps you read a sign; it does not define a national category. Match the exact Japanese wording in your municipality’s current guide.
Confirm bag and preparation
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
どの袋を使いますか | dono fukuro o tsukaimasu ka | Which bag do I use? | Ask about designated bags |
中を洗いますか | naka o araimasu ka | Do I rinse the inside? | Confirm preparation |
ふたを外しますか | futa o hazushimasu ka | Do I remove the cap? | Ask about separated parts |
申し込みが必要ですか | mōshikomi ga hitsuyō desu ka | Is an application required? | Ask about special collection |
Turn the reply into a sorting action
A category answer is not complete until you know what to do with detachable parts. Staff may say ふたは別です (“The cap is separate”), ラベルはそのままでいいです (“The label can stay on”), or 販売店に持っていってください (“Please take it to the retailer”). Repeat the item and action together: ふたは別の袋ですね.
If two people give different answers, do not choose the answer that is easier. Show the item in the municipality’s official search tool or contact the waste office. Note whether the rule changes with size, material, contamination, batteries, or whether the item is business waste. A package symbol may identify a material, but the municipality still defines the collection route.
Before finishing, check four facts: the exact item, local category, preparation, and whether normal collection accepts it. This prevents the common error of learning the right Japanese word but using the wrong disposal route.
Practice with contrast: an empty plastic bottle, its cap, a broken glass item, and a battery-containing device may produce four different answers. Say 同じ袋ですか、別の袋ですか (“The same bag or a different bag?”) and 普通の回収に出せますか (“Can it go in normal collection?”). The reply should change your physical action, not only add vocabulary to a list.
Let your municipality classify the item
Use the waste guide for the municipality and address where the item will be collected, plus building rules where applicable. Source check (August 11, 2026): the Ministry of the Environment’s lithium-ion-battery guidance specifically directs households to follow their municipality’s disposal rules and warns of fire risk. This lesson supplies questions, not the classification. Ask qualified staff about an unresolved language or waste-safety question.
Sort one item by the local rule
- Show one exact item instead of guessing from its name.
- Match the municipality’s Japanese category.
- Confirm bag, preparation, and special application.
- Continue to the trash-day lesson for when and where.
Turn the category into a collection plan
After staff or the local guide identifies the category, the next task is finding that category’s date, time, place, and preparation rule. Keep utility-problem language separate for hazards or service faults that should not enter the waste flow.
Street Check · 1–3 minutes
Try the real-world task
Classify one item using current municipal guidance.
Ready means:
- I can name or show the item.
- I can ask which category it is.
- I can confirm the local bag or disposal instruction.
Build the route
Before this lesson
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