Moving out of an apartment in Tokyo's Shinjuku district with a chair, mattress or other large item? Book the district's paid collection before buying a disposal sticker or handing back your keys. Shinjuku City calls household items generally over 30 cm on one side sodai gomi—Japanese for bulky household waste. These items usually cannot be left with ordinary household rubbish. The city requires an advance booking, the right Shinjuku-specific paid disposal sticker, and placement at the exact spot and date agreed in the booking. If the only available collection date falls after your lease ends, don't leave an uncollected item outside your former apartment.
This is a Shinjuku Ward procedure, not a rule for every Tokyo district. It matters especially to a foreign renter on a short moving schedule: you may have to coordinate with your building manager before deciding whether district collection is possible. The Shinjuku official bulky-waste instructions were updated on 1 July 2026.
Which items can use the city's big-rubbish collection?
| Item | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chair, desk, bicycle, futon, small furniture, suitcases and many other large ordinary household items | Check the item category and fee, reserve collection, then buy the required sticker | These can be bulky waste when a side is generally longer than 30 cm, subject to size/weight restrictions |
| Television, air conditioner, refrigerator/freezer, washing machine or clothes dryer | Use the separate appliance-recycling route, not a city bulky-waste ticket | Japan's recycling law covers these four appliance categories and their transport/recycling charges separately |
| Computer | Follow the computer-recycling route, not ordinary bulky-waste collection | Shinjuku expressly excludes household PCs |
| Unwanted furniture from a business or shop | Arrange an authorised business-waste contractor | The city's domestic household collection does not accept business-generated waste |
| Item that is still usable and may be picked up by someone else | Check legal reuse/donation and actual pickup timing | Waste collection is not always the quickest or least wasteful option |
Common trap: a 25 cm object is not automatically eligible for a booked large-item collection, while taking apart a large desk does not automatically turn it into ordinary rubbish. Shinjuku says large items remain bulky waste even when disassembled. Check the exact product category with the city before assuming a cheaper route.
A complete booking-to-pickup sequence
- Measure and list items, with category and dimensions. Use the Shinjuku government's instructions or call the booking centre if the item is unclear.
- Book before paying. The city links to the official Shinjuku bulky-waste reservation site and accepts telephone requests via 03-5304-8080, Monday–Saturday, 08:00–19:00. The online application is presented as available 24 hours; a website being open does not mean same-day pickup exists.
- Record the assigned collection date, item fee and pickup location. In an apartment block, it is commonly the first-floor entrance/approved drop-off area, not an arbitrary corridor or shared rubbish room. Ask the caretaker where items can be placed without blocking exits.
- Buy Shinjuku's own disposal stickers (sodai gomi shori-ken: paid bulky-waste tickets) in the exact value specified for the booked items. The city lists participating convenience stores, clean-up offices and other authorised sellers. Stickers from another ward are not interchangeable.
- Mark each item with your name (and room number in an apartment) or booking reference plus the booked collection date, and attach the required stickers visibly. Set items at the approved place on the agreed collection morning. Ask the building manager if they must be staged earlier; don't block an evacuation route or leave them on the pavement days in advance.
For changes or cancellations, Shinjuku says the online change/cancellation window closes at 23:59 three days before the collection date. If that cut-off has passed, contact the actual booking centre rather than assuming a late website edit succeeded. Confirm all instructions in the final reservation notice, which controls your specific pickup.
Example fees: why booking the item matters
Shinjuku's fee schedule lists A stickers worth ¥200 and B stickers worth ¥300. Its published examples of total fees include ¥400, ¥900, ¥1,300, ¥2,300 and ¥3,200 depending on the item. These are possible official fee bands, not a universal price for every chair or mattress. A booking that quotes ¥900 can be paid by three B stickers = 3 × ¥300 = ¥900. A booked ¥1,300 item can use two A (¥400) + three B (¥900) = ¥1,300. You must first know the exact current fee for your specific item and size.
Worked two-item case: Assume the booking assigns ¥400 for one item and ¥900 for a second. The total sticker purchase is ¥1,300, made up of two A stickers and three B stickers. The numbers are a hypothetical booking using official sticker denominations, not a claim that a named chair or mattress currently costs ¥400/¥900. Buying those stickers before confirming the reservation could result in buying the wrong value.
Two renters with opposite moving schedules
Renter A — enough time. Your lease ends on 20 November, and the reservation system offers a legal pickup date of 14 November. Confirm the items and exact drop-off location with your building manager, purchase the appropriate Shinjuku tickets, label each item and present them on 14 November. Keep the booking reference and photograph the empty room afterward for the rental deposit and handover checklist.
Renter B — your key handover is tomorrow, but the first available bulky-waste pickup is next week. Paying for a sticker does not create an earlier collection slot. Do not abandon furniture at the shared entrance, put it in ordinary rubbish, or assume the landlord will accept it. Ask whether the property manager will explicitly agree in writing to an arrangement after move-out (including access and any charges); if not, seek a lawful collection/reuse option whose real pickup date and registration can be confirmed before handing back the keys. The city can direct you to authorised waste channels, but this article does not endorse a particular commercial collector or promise same-day availability.
Failure to avoid: The tenant books collection for the wrong ward using an old social-media list, buys a generic Tokyo sticker and leaves the desk outside at night. The item isn't collected, while the landlord treats it as abandoned property. Use the Shinjuku ward-linked booking channel, local stickers and actual assigned placement instructions—not Tokyo-wide guesses.
Fridge, television or washing machine? Use another route
A refrigerator, air conditioner, television, washing machine or clothes dryer cannot be taken in Shinjuku's normal bulky-waste programme. The ward's appliance-recycling guide directs people replacing an appliance to arrange take-back through the seller of the replacement, or contact the original seller for disposal; other official collection/recycling arrangements may be available when these are not possible. Recycling and transport fees apply, separate from a standard bulky-waste sticker.
For computers, follow the city's separate computer recycling advice; do not hide a PC among the household furniture booking. If you cannot lift a large item safely, ask the city about its special carry-out collection for eligible disabled residents or people aged 65+ living alone, or arrange a suitable paid service. Standard collection does not mean the crew will enter every apartment and carry the item downstairs.
Your move-out action today
Make a list with each item's dimensions, disposal category, lease handover date and building-approved pickup location. Book a collection slot before purchasing the ward's stickers; check for excluded appliances. If the official date is too late, solve the key-handover conflict first rather than leaving uncollected waste behind. This guide is specific to Shinjuku City; someone living in Shibuya, Nakano or another Tokyo ward must check that ward's rules and sticker system.