Some trash is easy to throw away, such as food and clothes. But cartons need to be washed, cut flat and tied together. Plastic bottles must have labels peeled off. Glass bottles need to be separated by color and placed in separate bags. Broken glass and light bulbs are disposed of together. Metal trash needs to be separated as well—aluminum from steel, etc. Add to this a complicated schedule of pick-ups‹every two weeks for some trash, once a month for others, and once every three months for still other trash items. What's even more interesting is that Japanese citizens need to carry their trash around with them and throw it out at home since there are few, if any, trashcans in public.
Source: Sethherron.blogspot.com