Translation guide
In Japanese, the concept of 'garbage collection' is expressed differently depending on whether you mean the municipal service, the act of collecting trash, or the specific day. The most common and useful term is ごみ収集 (gomi shūshū).
garbage collection (service)
garbage collection day
Referring to the public service that collects household waste on a regular schedule.
Standard term for garbage collection as a service. Used in official contexts and everyday conversation.
Garbage collection is every Tuesday.
Slightly more explicit with the possessive particle の. Equally natural.
Can be used alone when context is clear, but usually combined with ごみ.
Referring specifically to the day when garbage is collected.
Common, casual way to say 'garbage day'. Used in daily conversation.
Describing the physical action of picking up or gathering trash.
General verb phrase meaning 'to collect garbage'. Used for any gathering of trash.
The vehicle used for garbage collection.
Standard term for a garbage truck.
収集 (shūshū) is general 'collection', while 回収 (kaishū) implies 'retrieval' or 'recovery', often used for recycling or bulky waste. For regular household garbage, 収集 is more common.
Please check the garbage collection day.
収集は午前8時からです。
Collection is from 8 a.m.
Tomorrow is garbage day.
More formal term often seen on signs or schedules.
Garbage collection days vary by area.
He is collecting garbage in the park.
More formal, often used for organized collection by a service or company.
The city collects the garbage.
The garbage truck came.
Common colloquial term, especially for compactor trucks.
The garbage truck is collecting trash.