JR East Tests Mobile Robot Bins At Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station

Japan, September 2026 — Shinjuku Station is one of the world’s busiest railway hubs, with the wider complex serving more than 2.7 million passengers each day. Within the section operated by East Japan Railway, or JR East, waste bins are manually emptied more than 10 times daily, creating a recurring operational task for sanitation staff.

JR East is testing three automated mobile bins, each standing slightly above one metre tall and travelling at approximately 20 centimetres per second. The robots operate in the station’s underground concourse, where they are intended to collect general waste and plastic bottles before bringing the waste back to human workers for removal.

The trial is designed to evaluate whether the robots can move safely through dense passenger flows, stop quickly when necessary and encourage passengers to use mobile bins. The machines are deliberately operated at a slow speed to allow passengers to approach them safely while enabling the robots to navigate a continuously busy station environment.

The initiative also responds to changes in station waste-management practices. JR East’s section of Shinjuku has only seven sets of rubbish and recycling bins, following reductions in fixed waste facilities associated with cleanliness and security considerations. Mobile collection could therefore provide additional flexibility without requiring a large increase in permanent infrastructure.

The trial, which began in September and is scheduled to continue until late November, provides JR East with an opportunity to assess autonomous service technology in one of the most demanding passenger environments. For the wider rail industry, the project illustrates how robotics can support routine station functions while keeping human workers responsible for tasks requiring direct intervention.

Source: The Malaysian Reserve