My Trash is Where?

At last our "home goods" delivery has arrived (before our "express" shipment by the way). We received our shipment of home goods on Monday. We unpacked with the help of the 3 Japanese workmen, who were very fast and efficient by the way. Our computer chair was broken when it arrived so we asked them if they could just take it with them since they broke it. The man thought this was quite funny. With a smile and a little giggle he assured us that he could NOT do that. So Tuesday was one of our many garbage days. Jason put it out in the garbage bin on "non-burnable" garbage day. Makes sense, right? Well, we thought all was good in the world too because it was all picked up. Super! Well, on Thursday was our next garbage day. So they kept part of the chair (the seat and the back) and dropped off the metal arms with a sticker on them that said something in Kanji and the number 30. What?! The garbage men picked it up, brought it to where ever they bring the trash around here, decided it couldn't stay and then REMEMBERED which apartment building it came from?! I do not understand this at all!
This morning my doorbell rang. It was Miki. He said, "I am here to tell you how to throw away your trash." Oh boy. We Americans just don't get it. I asked Miki how they knew it was our chair. He said he didn't know either. WEIRD. Either way, they had called Japan Family Housing and told them to come and explain to us what we can and can't throw away with out a charge. I'm guessing now that the 30 had something to do with money...? Miki informed me that we had to call City Hall and make an appointment to pick up our trash. I said, "But Miki, I don't speak Japanese. Will you call for me?" He told me that is what he was planning on doing. On a side note, the entire time Miki was at my house his phone was ringing off the hook. He obviously speaks in Japanese so I never know if he's taking other calls or if all of these calls are pertaining to my trash issue. He finally told me that someone from Japan Family Housing would pick up our trash for us and we could pick it up at their office where we can then either throw it away on base or pay the fee (about 2000 yen - $20.00). He told me that next time we have something weird to throw away to please call him first so that we don't have this problem again. Moral of the story... If it looks like trash and works like trash - it isn't trash!