How many trash cans are there in Kyoto?

498 that a visitor can use are on record, and 56 of them have been checked on the ground in the last 18 months. We show what is on record rather than what we guess is there — we would rather show you four you can trust than forty you cannot.

Can I use a convenience-store bin without buying anything?

Officially no — those bins are for customers, and many stores moved them inside for exactly that reason. Buy a drink and it is uncontroversial.

What do I do if the bin is gone?

Tell us — one tap on the spot screen — and it drops down the ranking for everyone else. Then take the next checked point on the list; the app shows it with the walking time.

Map → Japan → Kyoto

京都府

Where to throw away trash in Kyoto

498 disposal points in Kyoto are on the map. 56 of them have been checked on the ground in the last 18 months — the most recent on 2026-09-12. Those are the ones this page lists first.

56 / 498Checked / on the map

A point counts only with a survey date.

4 / 498With directions / on the map

A pin with no sentence saying where it is cannot be found on the ground.

369Anyone may use

No purchase, no ticket.

124Conditional

Bottles and cans only, or customers only.

2026-09-12Most recent survey

The newest date anyone recorded here.

The points worth walking to

Checked points first. Tap one to open it on the map with walking directions.

SmaGO — near Fushimi Inari TaishaPublic · checked 2026-06-25 · general, can, pet bottleVerified SmaGO — Kiyomizu-michiPublic · checked 2026-06-01 · general, can, pet bottleVerified SmaGO — Kyoto National MuseumPublic · general, can, pet bottleVerified SmaGO — Minamiza, GionPublic · general, can, pet bottleVerified Recycling bin near Arashiyama StationBottles & cans only · checked 2026-09-12 · can, glass, otherVerified Trash can · KyotoPublic · checked 2026-09-06 · generalVerified Trash can · KyotoPublic · checked 2026-09-06 · generalVerified Trash can near Amanohashidate StationPublic · checked 2026-07-03 · canVerified Trash can near Amanohashidate StationPublic · checked 2026-07-03 · generalVerified Trash can near Gion-shijo StationPublic · checked 2026-06-17 · generalVerified Trash can near Fushimi-Inari StationPublic · checked 2026-05-31 · generalVerified Recycling bin near Arashiyama StationBottles & cans only · checked 2026-05-19 · pet bottle, canVerified

Stations with the most points nearby

Torokko Arashiyama Station	32
Arashiyama Station	27
Higashi-muko Station	22
Toji Station	16
Ryukokudai-mae-Fukakusa Station	15
Nishi-muko Station	11
Nijojo-mae Station	11
Omuro-Ninnaji Station	10

What the bins here accept

General	367
Pet Bottle	139
Can	138
Glass	119
Other	113
Food	3

How disposal actually works in Japan

Public bins are rare, and that is deliberate: most were removed from stations and streets after 1995 and never came back. What replaced them is a set of habits rather than infrastructure.

Bottles and cans are the easy case — there is almost always a recycling box beside a vending machine, and it takes bottles and cans only. A coffee cup or a wrapper does not go in it. For those, a convenience store where you buy something, a station platform, or your own hotel is the realistic answer. Carrying your trash for a few hours is normal here, not a failure.

The one thing to avoid: the sorted collection points you will see on residential street corners in the morning. Those belong to the households on that street.

Questions people actually ask

How many trash cans are there in Kyoto?: 498 that a visitor can use are on record, and 56 of them have been checked on the ground in the last 18 months. We show what is on record rather than what we guess is there — we would rather show you four you can trust than forty you cannot.
Can I use a convenience-store bin without buying anything?: Officially no — those bins are for customers, and many stores moved them inside for exactly that reason. Buy a drink and it is uncontroversial.
What do I do if the bin is gone?: Tell us — one tap on the spot screen — and it drops down the ranking for everyone else. Then take the next checked point on the list; the app shows it with the walking time.

Open Kyoto on the map

Nearest first, with who is allowed to use each one, what it takes, and how recently anybody confirmed it was still there.

Open the map here