Japanese Electronics
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55)
Sun 2007/11/25 01:21
When a cousin of mine told me that the TV, music center, refrigerator and washing machine in his apartment was found on the streets, I had trouble believing him.
I was on my first trip to Japan at the time and didn't know much about Japanese culture.
The reason why its possible to find stuff like this on the streets is because many folks like keeping up with the Joneses (or Suzuki's in the case of Japan) and regularly upgrade their electronic goods.
One cant just throw out their old TV. A fee has to be paid to the local ward (about 300 yen for a TV) to come and pick it up for recycle. The owner of the TV would go to the local convenience store and pay the 300 yen for the recycle sticker which they stick on the TV. An appointment is arranged with the local ward to come and pick up the TV at a particular time. My cousin was being naughty and intercepted his found goods before the ward was able to get to the items.
Most of the goods are in good working order - a bit old but functional. I've heard from many other Gaijin in Japan who have also picked up household appliances from the streets. I've even seen a plasma TV waiting to be picked up once @.@
How are household appliances such as TVs and refrigerators disposed of in your region? Are goods left out on the streets?
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Thu 11/22 10:16 comments (84)
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Fri 11/16 07:30 comments (59)
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/24 23:42)
I've known some people here who would just leave them unwanted stuff out in the streets and just wait for the garbage truck to pick it up. Although most of the people I know would donate their unwanted appliance to charity. Btw LOL on the poll, I wonder if anybody would ever vote on leaving it alone on the street. ^^
(ID #64876) Posted on 2007/11/25 01:19
We do that here. Called spring cleaning. Everything you want to throw out just leave it on your side walk. People can take what they want, everything else gets picked up by the city. Most of them are REALLY old, or broken. But if I was there in Japan, i'd pick up everything. Haha!
(ID #64879) Posted on 2007/11/25 01:50
Policy & Research Officer
People are pretty fast at picky functional goods up. My family once put a working washing machine downstairs to be thrown away, and then when we came back from dinner, it was already gone.
(ID #64880) Posted on 2007/11/25 01:54
i would indeed search for those electronic devices..here in my country they are not expensive but people just dont get rid of it so easy..so its hard seeing that here
(ID #64881) Posted on 2007/11/25 02:07
Japanese Student
I was surprised at the "Pay to dispose of junk" rule, too! I wanted to get rid of a PC monitor and found out I had to pay ￥2500 for it! So I brought it to Hard-off (I know... it's a silly name) and they paid me ￥300 for it. I have other foreign friends who just pass their stuff on to newcomers. They just ask them to pay for the delivery fee.
(ID #64882) Posted on 2007/11/25 02:10
Every bulky item pick up day, you can find stuff on the street from mattresses to washing machines. They all seem old and dirty though, usually broken. There are some nice cabinets every now and then but they get picked up quick.
(ID #64883) Posted on 2007/11/25 02:11
HMMaster (Registered on 2007/09/03 23:40)
that tv looks newer than my current tv ^_^;;
(ID #64885) Posted on 2007/11/25 02:29
Dang it I had to work hard as hell to get my own tv in my room, and they just set it outside waiting for the poor tv to be recycle...!
(ID #64888) Posted on 2007/11/25 03:36
Student Engineer
Yes I would take it home with me: the rule is it is trash and another man's trash is another man's treasure =D. Thats if I were living in Japan. Take my Ipod Nano for example: it works and I am very happy with it so there is no need for me to upgrade (because I am happy with it!). More than likely I will find a way to sell it for extra cash. Another important question Danny that I must ask- If I were to visit Japan will my laptop be able to plug in safely into japanese outlets? As far as I know European outlets are a different voltage and will fry my PC. Are the sockets safe in Japan?
(ID #64890) Posted on 2007/11/25 03:53
Plasma screen!?!? I would find the owners of that "old thing" and glefully pay them 2000 yen for that bad boy! Mabye a simple offer to the previous owners would do it??
(ID #64891) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:03
hahah! When we first moved to Israel, we didn't have much at all, and we were really surprised when we saw all of this pretty neat stuff just sitting there on the street, waiting to be thrown away. So when we went for our walks, sometimes we'd come back with more then we went out with. Although it's somewhat emberassing, but if you've got nothing, or even if you have a lot, but the item is going to be at any use to you, then I don't see why not pick it up.
(ID #64892) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:09
Pre-Enlisted NS(Army)-men
If I ever found a plasma TV lying on the streets in singapore, it'll usually be broken or faulty. But if it's looking brand new and all, then I'll most probably hail a taxi and bring it home asap.
(ID #64893) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:10
My Father brought home bikes from Japan that he picked up from the garbage.
(ID #64894) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:14
Well, at the apartments near my school, when people move out they tend to throw out their furniture too, so couches, mattresses, lamps, the like. They also advertise on Facebook if anyone wants their stuff. Nothing like flatscreens though, saw a few ads on Facebook for people selling like 20inch tv's, so don't think they'd give away a flatscreen. I mean, TV's I might be naughty enough to pick up, but Sofas? You don't know what people have done on those...
(ID #64895) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:38
Overpaid Computer Nerd
Ahh the memories of GOMI hunts. US soldiers stationed in Japan don't really make a lot of money so many of use lower enlisted would go Gomi Hunting for TVs, applicances, and just pots and pans. My TV, VCR (this was 1992), and radio all came from a Gomi pile.
(ID #64896) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:39
ZB in Minnesota, USA
(ZBs wife posting:) In our town, if you put something out on the street with a "free" sign on it, it might get picked up, but if you put a sign on it that says "$5", it'll get "stolen" right away. People are so strange.
(ID #64897) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:48
Grab it!!! No questions asked
(ID #64898) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:55
he he.. grab it of course, even if its a dud.. you can still put it right back on the street :D dumpster diving in the apartment complex, lots of people move out and leave lamps, couches, even computers out fro others to grab before the garbage people do.. especially computers.. lots of computer novices just dump theres when the simplest problems occur.. good sets avalable :D
(ID #64899) Posted on 2007/11/25 04:59
Student
Dang I wish people threw out stuff like that, I really need a TV for my room for my PS2. Everyone around here pretty much donates their stuff, GoodWill etc, and its usually old stuff. I haven't heard of people throwing away a tv like the one in your picture because of being "old." If I'm not mistaken, its still pretty new!
(ID #64900) Posted on 2007/11/25 05:34
.NET/Web Developer
You can't find anything like that around here. Leave your appliances outside for 5 mins and the next thing you know it's gone. heheheh Most people sell their old stuff if they wanted to buy something new so as to lessen the expenses. Amazed that this isn't how it works in Japan.
(ID #64901) Posted on 2007/11/25 05:41
passerby117
I guess this really tells just you how fast Japanese folks cycles their goods for a newer generation's. And why Japan is one of the top producers of toxic electronic waste.
(ID #64903) Posted on 2007/11/25 06:01
if it's not against the law than I'll gladly take it (0o0)/
(ID #64905) Posted on 2007/11/25 07:03
I guess in my country, people use things until they break or become so worn that "it's really time to get a new one". Just buying new & more things new all the time is what's most damaging to the planet.
(ID #64909) Posted on 2007/11/25 08:11
Electro/Dance Musician, DJ
Yoink! I read TV on a street curb and the first thought that crossed my mind was "Take It, You Know You Want To."
(ID #64911) Posted on 2007/11/25 08:35
Motion Graphics Designer
damn, i haul that home ASAP... where i'm at, we use the appliance till they break. and even then, we still send it to the repair shop to see if it's fixable. the price for electrical/electronic items are pretty steep here. we can't afford to chuck our appliances out just because they're 'getting old' =(
(ID #64918) Posted on 2007/11/25 09:31
omg a plasma..i would be the first one picking it and running off the scene=.=
(ID #64925) Posted on 2007/11/25 11:39
A few years ago there were days where trucks would drive around and pick up stuff like sofas, electronics etc. now you have to call them and I think it costs something too. People only throw out reaally old stuff anyway, the best thing I found were old power rangers action figures when I was 8 years old ^^"
(ID #64933) Posted on 2007/11/25 11:47
That TV would make a nice free Christmas's gift from Santa. LOL!
(ID #64934) Posted on 2007/11/25 12:10
Ok, this angers me so much, i dont even wanna look at other peoples posts. WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU!? IGNORING IT!? ommfg, ok, so a tv is a lil old, or the pc is just a TAD slower then your new one. TAKE IT ANYWAYS!, if not to sell, then to use for other things. Lets say your new pc has all these good gaming capabilities, but ur filling it up with work and projects. LO AND BEHOLD! that slightly slower pc is right there. . AMAZING! I can't believe the nerve of some people. If anything, Ill carry the damn TV and PC for a mile if I cant get a cab! Ill grab someone walking say "Hey, can you help me? Ill pay you!" God, the nerve >.
(ID #64936) Posted on 2007/11/25 12:48
Zerodyme, please chill out will you. Less for them = more for you. Maybe. Perhaps. Who knows. Depends.
(ID #64939) Posted on 2007/11/25 12:58
My farther is the chief of the station that collect these items, and i can say that alot my stuff comes from there and they work perfectly fine and are totally free.
(ID #64940) Posted on 2007/11/25 13:04
Matte+
Hi, buddy. Here in Italy it's pretty the same as in Japan. We left our old Tv and PC at the corner of the street by night, and in the early morning the public company responsible for collecting the garbage picked them up. Only I don' think we paid anything, it' s a public service. Congratulations for your blog.
(ID #64942) Posted on 2007/11/25 13:13
宅男 Otaku/ 工程师 Engineer
in singapore, people prefer to sell them if they are still in working condition either at those 2nd hand shops or to the "Karung Guni Man" a local equivalent of the rag and bone man (junk dealer). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karang_guni
(ID #64952) Posted on 2007/11/25 14:15
In my region people dont upgrade often. In fact, they do so maybe just a couple of times in their lifetime. But yeah, its possible to find furniture and electronics on the streets, albeit very old and barely functioning ones. So its not worth bothering
(ID #64955) Posted on 2007/11/25 16:06
A friend of mine studied in Bordeaux (France) and rented an apartment with another two students. It was a crap but cheap, besides the refrigerator that has developed one or two bacterial civilizations inside. The first night they went for a walk and returning home they see in the garbage 50 meters away an almost new refrigerator with a sign that says "It works". A good starting.
(ID #64961) Posted on 2007/11/25 16:57
It's only allowed to put stuff on the streets the night before the disposal service comes, so you won't see too many stuff during day. Besides that, most stuff is too old (and sometimes others already demolished it, TVs with broken screens for example) that it's not worth to take it home. LOL, the chance of finding a 32" plasma TV on the street here is as high as winning the lottery. XD
(ID #64963) Posted on 2007/11/25 17:38
Web Design & Development
I used to work at an Electronics Recycling company. Let's just say I am now the proud owner of 37 Sega Genesis systems. Along with a plethora of other gadgetty goodness scooped from the bins of impending death. I was allowed to take these things as recyclivalue on most general electronics is about $0.12. The real money is in modern computer components and large chunks of copper like you find on the back of CRT tubes.
(ID #64969) Posted on 2007/11/25 18:04
32 inch working condition plasma. Of course I would take it. I always find use to the old things so I would know how to use it good.
(ID #64970) Posted on 2007/11/25 18:20
Troubleshooter, Universal Exports
Some places here in the states you have to pay a fee to dispose of large household appliances. Many times what one will find on the curb is just plain junk here. I'm sure it's different in some parts of the country. Where I lived in the Florida we would donate such items to a charity.
(ID #64976) Posted on 2007/11/25 22:41
Interactive Media Design and Graphic Design
well, if an item is in good working order, many people here give it to salvation army or other organizations that deal with charity. These organizations come and pick up the item from you or you can bring it to them. Many do come to pick this up from you and give you a certificate that you donated something which then can be deducted from your taxes in the end of the year. I'll be doing that soon as I have a couple of old tech items that only pick up space.
(ID #64979) Posted on 2007/11/26 00:50
LOL, Brazil. If someone threw out an old and even broke black and white 5" 15yrold TV people on the street would still fight to get it. Electronics are just too expensive here. People will use it 'till the local repairman (or even after several repairmen) will say it can't be fixed. We pay 60% tax only for importing electronics... and since there are no good electronics brands here... Of course there are people who gets newer TV sets... but you can always sell it, or in worst case scenario, donate to a good number of needing charity institutions.
(ID #64982) Posted on 2007/11/26 01:34
JJ san in San Francisco
When I was moving away from Japan and tried to sell my 8-month-old goods, it was almost pointless! I had to basically just give them all away. I was thinking I could recoup the cost of the items, but instead it was a total loss. Gaijin be warned!
(ID #64995) Posted on 2007/11/26 04:43
宅男 Otaku/ 工程师 Engineer
my new PC will be coming tomorrow. should i leave it on the streets? ('~')
lol of course not. gonna trade it in for a bit of cash. haha. ^^;
(ID #65016) Posted on 2007/11/26 11:25
IT TechGuy
If there are something for me to pickup on the street for free. Oh call me and i will do it for you. i need the spare parts for repair. More pocket for me!
(ID #65019) Posted on 2007/11/26 11:36
宅男 Otaku/ 工程师 Engineer
please ignore my last post. forgot to insert a "my old PC" inside.
what i meant was
my new PC will be coming tomorrow. should i leave *my old PC* it on the streets? ('~')
lol of course not. gonna trade it in for a bit of cash. haha. ^^;
/secretly wish there's a edit function. ^^;
(ID #65036) Posted on 2007/11/26 14:32
I guess its okay to take it as long as it is going to be of use to someone else.
(ID #65053) Posted on 2007/11/26 23:55
rees in Canada
Here where I live - we put stuff on the curb in front of our house when we want it to be taken to a new home. If you want it your free to take it If nobody takes it after a couple of days it either go's to the dump or to the recyclers
(ID #65054) Posted on 2007/11/27 00:11
anime/cosplay events organizer
if ever i saw a 32-inch plasma screen (or any working electronics) on the streets, i'll hail a taxi cab and take it home with me ^___^ recycling here is done by only a few individuals and everyone doesn't usually recycle. the government is not doing much on their job to educate people on recycling >.>
(ID #65081) Posted on 2007/11/27 02:29
Physical Therapy student
wow! I'd definitely run with it. Here in our country, we don't throw away electronics that easily. We'll use it until it blows up, or give it to a relative, keep it in the basement or send it to the repair shop. So you see, electronics are a lifetime investment, you don't throw anything! I actually inherited my mother's 20 year old TV when I went away for college.
(ID #65171) Posted on 2007/11/28 03:26
Antabax in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
plasma tv on the street ? whoah !
(ID #65184) Posted on 2007/11/28 06:05
Mics in Philippines
I left a garbage box outside our store so people outside can use it instead of throwing trash in the streets. I came back after a few minutes and it was stolen =/
(ID #65210) Posted on 2007/11/28 11:31
宅男 Otaku/ 工程师 Engineer
i sold my 17" LCD monitor today to someone at work. ^^; but when i ask a computer repair shop whether they accept trade in for my old PIII CPU, they say they don't accept PIII anymore. :/ guess i'll just have to leave it at the junk corner at my block then.
(ID #65341) Posted on 2007/11/29 10:52
O.o FREE PLASMA ON THE STREET? what the heck ! y an't anyone grabbing it?
(ID #65497) Posted on 2007/11/30 19:02
From living in the USA, that is just amazing that people toss such good stuff like that. In my part of the country, people don't usually toss their good fancy stuff like a not so old big plasma TV. And anything that is thrown out that isn't an absolute piece of junk is promptly picked up by folks, who in turn repair the item and resell it at a flea market or store. The same goes for non-electronics such as refrigerators, washers/dryers, etc. Now not too many people recycle their stuff, they usually just toss hence what I said above. That probably goes for most of the country with California possibly being the exception. The only rule that I can think of at the moment for tossing out freezers/refrigerators is you must remove or lock up the doors with a chain (or a rope I suppose). It's too prevent the dumb ass kids from getting stuck in it and suffocating.
(ID #74061) Posted on 2008/02/29 07:50
Informatics(ComSci-ish) student/ self-taught graphic designer and illustrator
I once saw a flat/widescreen TV (couldn't tell if it was Plasma or LCD) in a park in San Francisco. I found it really weird. I've heard of it in Japan, but not in the states. I think it even had a sign saying "Please take me home". Haha XD
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