How to Put Out Cardboard and Recovered Paper Correctly, and Where to Take It

Paper and cardboard

Recovered paper is a raw material, not something you throw away

Cardboard and paper you have finished with are not burnable waste. Put them out as recovered paper ("koshi") and they can be turned back into the raw material for paper. According to materials from the Paper Recycling Promotion Center, a public interest incorporated foundation, 16,284 thousand tonnes of recovered paper were collected in Japan in 2025 and the recovered paper collection rate reached 81.3%, with roughly 99% of the paper collected being used again in paper as a papermaking raw material (Source: Paper Recycling Promotion Center, "Paper Recycling in Japan," April 2026).

First, check the rules for the municipality where you live

Paper from households is generally separated into five categories: newspapers, magazines, cardboard, beverage cartons, and miscellaneous recyclable paper ("zatsugami"). However, the sorting categories, collection days, and the way items must be put out (tied with string, gathered in a collection bag, and so on) differ from one municipality to another. Before you actually put anything out, always check the waste and recyclables sorting rules of the municipality where you live.

The basics of putting out cardboard

The Paper Recycling Promotion Center's materials give the following guidance on putting out cardboard.

• Take everything out of the box and fold it flat.
• Remove delivery slips and similar items to protect your personal information.
• Wax-coated cardboard ("rōdan"), used to pack imported produce and processed seafood, is not suitable as a papermaking raw material, so keep it out of the cardboard and put it out as burnable waste.

(Source: Paper Recycling Promotion Center, "Paper Types Unsuitable as Papermaking Raw Material (Prohibitive Materials)")

Cardboard that has been soaked by rain and damaged as a result cannot be collected as recovered paper either. Store it somewhere dry, and check your municipality's sorting rules for how to handle boxes that have already been damaged.

Know what falls under "zatsugami"

Miscellaneous recyclable paper ("zatsugami") is the collective term for recyclable paper other than newspapers, magazines, cardboard, and beverage cartons. According to the Paper Recycling Promotion Center, it includes flyers delivered to your mailbox, copier paper, wrapping paper, paper bags, and the paperboard boxes that sweets and toys come in.

On the other hand, the following are not suitable as a papermaking raw material, so they must be kept out of zatsugami and put out as burnable waste (Source: Paper Recycling Promotion Center, "Paper Types Unsuitable as Papermaking Raw Material (Prohibitive Materials)").

• Thermal paper such as receipts, and carbon paper or carbonless paper such as delivery slips
• Water-resistant coated paper such as paper cups, paper plates, and cup noodle containers
• Photographs (photographic paper) and foil-stamped paper such as gold and silver origami paper
• Paper stained with food residue or odors, and absorbent products such as disposable diapers and sanitary products

The difference between drop-off, group, and municipal collection

There are three main collection routes for recovered paper (Source: Paper Recycling Promotion Center, "Paper Recycling in Japan," April 2026).

• Municipal collection ("gyōsei kaishū"): You put the paper out at a collection site designated by your municipality, and the municipality or a contracted operator collects it.
• Drop-off collection ("kyoten kaishū"): You bring the paper to a collection box installed at a public facility, a supermarket storefront, or a similar location.
• Group collection ("shūdan kaishū"): A local organization such as a neighborhood association, a PTA, or a children's association collects the paper and hands it over to a recycling operator.

Many municipalities have programs that grant incentives or subsidies to local organizations running group collections, based on the volume collected. In Chiba City, for example, the subsidy is paid as the sum of 2 yen per kilogram collected plus 500 yen for each month in which a collection was carried out (Source: Chiba City, "Subsidy Program to Encourage Group Collection (Resource Collection)"). Whether a subsidy exists, how much it is, and the conditions for eligible organizations differ by municipality, so please check the website or other official sources of the municipality where you live for details.

What recovered paper becomes after collection

Collected recovered paper passes through local collection operators and is consolidated at direct delivery agents ("chokunō gyōsha"), where it is weighed and then baled under press before being transported to paper mills. At the mill, the recovered paper is dissolved in water and returned to fiber (pulp), then sent back out to the market as a wide range of paper and paperboard products, including newsprint, containerboard for cardboard, printing paper, and toilet paper (Source: Paper Recycling Promotion Center, "Paper Recycling in Japan," April 2026).

About the items covered by the Home Appliance Recycling Act

Note that the four item categories covered by the Home Appliance Recycling Act (家電リサイクル法, the Act on Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances) — air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators and freezers, and washing machines and clothes dryers (Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), "Home Appliance Recycling Act") — are governed by a different legal framework and disposal route from recovered paper and cardboard, and are not covered by this service. For how to dispose of them, please check with the store where you purchased them, your municipality, or METI's official information.

Summary

When cardboard and recovered paper are sorted and put out correctly, a high proportion of them are recycled and used again as paper. The scope of zatsugami and the finer rules on how to put items out differ by municipality, so use this article as a guide, but always confirm the official information from the municipality where you live before you put anything out.