Generally the norm is to have a recycling bin for cans and plastic bottles right next to every vending machine (or group of machines). At least that’s the case 99% of the time when I buy a drink at a vending machine.

Im heavily touristed areas, though, it’s become a topic of much outrage on social media where people are illegally dumping garbage in recycling bins. A lot of times foreigners are blamed - and to be fair there are lots of videos out there of foreigners putting things in recycling bins that they shouldn’t - but of course it’s not just foreigners who are responsible. And this illegal dumping seems to have led to some vendors not putting out recycling bins in heavily tourist areas.

I’ve also noticed that a lot of Japanese people will just leave a can on the ground if no bin is provided (or if the bin is full). The expectation is generally that if you sell some food item, you also need to accept the trash after it’s consumed. So it seems like vendors are “punished” with a pile of trash for breaking that social contract.

On a similar note, if you ever buy food from a food truck or stall, the vendor will usually happily dispose of any trash when you’re finished - even if they don’t explicitly put a trash can out.