namagomi no ryou ni ouzite, youki wo erabimasu.

Here are the most important readings:

• 生ごみ → なまごみ
• 量 → りょう
• 応じて → おうじて
• 容器 → ようき
• 選びます → えらびます

A common point of confusion is 生, because it has many readings in Japanese. In 生ごみ, it is read なま.

生ごみの量 literally means the amount of food waste.

Breakdown:

• 生ごみ = food waste / kitchen scraps
• の = links nouns, similar to of
• 量 = amount, quantity

So A の B means something like B of A or A’s B.
Here, 生ごみの量 = the quantity of food waste.

量 is used for amount/volume, while 数 is used for number/count.

Garbage is usually thought of as something measured by amount, not by how many individual pieces it contains. So:

• 量 = amount of garbage
• 数 = number of items

That makes 生ごみの量 sound natural, while 生ごみの数 would usually sound odd unless you were counting separate pieces for some special reason.

に応じて means according to, depending on, or in response to.

In this sentence, it shows that the choice of container changes based on the amount of food waste.

So the structure is:

• 生ごみの量に応じて = according to the amount of food waste
• 容器を選びます = choose a container

This pattern is often used when something is adjusted to match a condition.

Because 応じる commonly connects with に.

The pattern is:

• N に応じて = according to N / depending on N

So here:

• 生ごみの量 is the noun phrase
• に応じて attaches to it as a set expression

You should think of に応じて as one grammar pattern rather than translating に by itself word-for-word.

Yes. 応じて is the て-form of 応じる.

• dictionary form: 応じる
• て-form: 応じて

In this sentence, the て-form is being used to connect the first part of the sentence to the main action:

• 生ごみの量に応じて、容器を選びます。

So it works like:

• Depending on the amount of food waste, choose a container.

This is a very common way for Japanese to link a condition or basis to the main action.

Because 容器 is the direct object of 選びます.

• 容器 = container
• を = marks the thing being acted on
• 選びます = choose

So 容器を選びます means choose a container.

In English, the object comes right after the verb’s meaning, but in Japanese the object is marked by を before the verb.

選びます is the polite form of 選ぶ.

The non-past form in Japanese can express:

• a habitual action
• a general rule
• future action
• instructions in an explanatory style

In a sentence like this, it often sounds like:

• a general guideline
• a statement in instructions or manuals
• a polite explanation of what one does

So it is not necessarily talking about one single action happening right now.

Japanese often omits the subject when it is obvious from context.

So the sentence does not explicitly say:

• you choose
• we choose
• one chooses
• the user should choose

The intended subject depends on the situation. In a manual or sign, it often implies you. In a general explanation, it may mean one or people in general.

This kind of subject omission is very normal in Japanese.

Because Japanese often places the condition, basis, or context before the main action.

So the sentence is structured like this:

• 生ごみの量に応じて = depending on the amount of food waste
• 容器を選びます = choose a container

This order is very natural in Japanese. It lets the listener know the standard or condition first, and then gives the action.

The comma just helps readability. It is not essential, but it makes the sentence easier to follow.

Sometimes yes, but the nuance changes slightly.

• に応じて = according to, depending on, in response to
• に合わせて = in accordance with, to match, to suit

In this sentence, に応じて sounds very natural because the container is chosen based on the amount of waste. It has a slightly more objective, rule-based feeling.

に合わせて could also work in some contexts, but it can sound a bit more like actively matching or fitting something to something else.

So 生ごみの量に応じて is a very good choice for a general instruction or guideline.