Before I moved to Korea, I never imagined that I’d go through crises just from taking the trash out. How could I not be surprised? In front of homes, there are multiple bins meant for specific types of trash, but while I’m out and about, it’s almost impossible to find a single trash can! To be fair, my country is not known for how efficient their trash system is, but I would have to say that Korea is on another level.
On my very first day in Korea, I tried to toss the wrap of a gimbap (김밥, Laver Rice Roll) I had just ate in front of my dormitory. I felt my heartbeat speed up and a single bead of sweat rolled down my temple. There were so many different bins with things written on them in characters I could not understand. I had to run back into my room to grab my phone so I could use a translating application to figure out what the words mean. I remember wondering why the simple act of tossing trash can be overly complicated. Back home, there is just one bin for everything. In Korea, there are usually separate trash bins for paper, plastic, vinyl, styrofoam, general waste, and the most surprising one for me, food waste!
I had to learn the hard way that food waste goes into a separate bin. I went to the garbage disposal area to toss a bowl of instant noodles with some remaining broth and noodles in it, and just as I was about to do so, one of the cleaning staff came up to me and scolded me for not following the rules! She softened after learning that I am a foreign student, and she then showed me that there is a separate lidded bin that is sitting right in front for food waste. I thought that taking care of food waste was going to be the final boss level I need to beat in order to fully understand the Korean trash disposal rules.
After I moved out of the dormitory to live in my own place, I found out that people usually need to purchase a special trash bag to dispose of their general waste. The bags aren’t just sold anywhere, as they are all different depending on the region. They come in many different sizes and usually differ by color for each area. It’s admirable how this country manages to operate such a complex waste management system, while everything just ends up being a giant pile back in my country.
I still struggle figuring out where to sort some things to, such as my used toothbrush and greasy pizza boxes. However, I have also started taking it seriously and feel like I have accomplished something every time I successfully sort them. It seems like my initial amusement of how Koreans take waste management seriously ended up being a motivator for me to start diligently doing the same too!
Photograph: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
Before I moved to Korea, I never imagined that I’d go through crises just from taking the trash out. How could I not be surprised? In front of homes, there are multiple bins meant for specific types of trash, but while I’m out and about, it’s almost impossible to find a single trash can! To be fair, my country is not known for how efficient their trash system is, but I would have to say that Korea is on another level.
On my very first day in Korea, I tried to toss the wrap of a gimbap (김밥, Laver Rice Roll) I had just ate in front of my dormitory. I felt my heartbeat speed up and a single bead of sweat rolled down my temple. There were so many different bins with things written on them in characters I could not understand. I had to run back into my room to grab my phone so I could use a translating application to figure out what the words mean. I remember wondering why the simple act of tossing trash can be overly complicated. Back home, there is just one bin for everything. In Korea, there are usually separate trash bins for paper, plastic, vinyl, styrofoam, general waste, and the most surprising one for me, food waste!
I had to learn the hard way that food waste goes into a separate bin. I went to the garbage disposal area to toss a bowl of instant noodles with some remaining broth and noodles in it, and just as I was about to do so, one of the cleaning staff came up to me and scolded me for not following the rules! She softened after learning that I am a foreign student, and she then showed me that there is a separate lidded bin that is sitting right in front for food waste. I thought that taking care of food waste was going to be the final boss level I need to beat in order to fully understand the Korean trash disposal rules.
After I moved out of the dormitory to live in my own place, I found out that people usually need to purchase a special trash bag to dispose of their general waste. The bags aren’t just sold anywhere, as they are all different depending on the region. They come in many different sizes and usually differ by color for each area. It’s admirable how this country manages to operate such a complex waste management system, while everything just ends up being a giant pile back in my country.
I still struggle figuring out where to sort some things to, such as my used toothbrush and greasy pizza boxes. However, I have also started taking it seriously and feel like I have accomplished something every time I successfully sort them. It seems like my initial amusement of how Koreans take waste management seriously ended up being a motivator for me to start diligently doing the same too!
Photograph: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images