Japan Tip of the Day: Recycling PET bottles at grocery stores

(Graphic illustration by Stripes Japan)

Since my move to Japan, I have found many things to love, but also a few things that stress me out. One of those is off-base recycling.

If you live off base, you may be familiar with the trash and recycling pick up schedule, so you know when and where they pick up certain items. Where I live, PET bottles, which are what most drinks and waters are packaged in, are picked up once every two weeks and require special bags only available for purchase at conbinnis or grocery stores in the same city.

The strict requirements mean PET bottles pile up and can quickly overtake my home if I’m not prepared or I forget to put them out before pick-up day.

Believe me, bottle-filled bags can quickly become a nightmare. Fortunately, there’s a nice way to avoid this problem!

In Japan, many large supermarkets offer recycling services for cardboard, PET bottles and even old clothes. If you’re like me, buried under PET bottles, you might want to check to see if your neighborhood grocer provides this convenient service.

Near Yokota Air Base, where I’m stationed, superstore Joyful Honda offers a free ECO card, which allows customers access to recycling aluminum cans and PET bottles.

How to recycle at Joyful Honda:

First, scan your ECO card. Then you can begin the drop off.

For PET bottles, make sure the caps and labels are removed. There is a small cap disposal there, too.

Place label-less and capless bottles one at a time onto the conveyor belt. Aluminum cans are collected next to the PET bottle machine. Before you start inserting cans, make sure to scan the ECO card.

The card at Joyful Honda gives customers points for recycling. Each item earns .02 points. Obtain 500 points and receive a 500-yen (about $3.36) off coupon for use inside the store.

Though it may take a while to collect the required 500 points, the cost savings from not waiting every two weeks for collection and not having to buy special city bags for PET bottles is priceless.

Check your nearby grocery store to see if they offer their own recycling benefit program.