Everyday life in Korea
Recycling & waste disposal in Korea
Find out how to sort everyday items, understand Korean waste bags and check selected local disposal schedules.
What are you throwing away?
Browse everyday items with sorting steps and common mistakes.
Read the guide →Find local disposal information
Check selected areas, source dates and local exceptions.
Read the guide →New to recycling in Korea?
Start with waste categories, bags and your building's collection point.
Read the guide →Everyday items
Plastic packaging
Clear PET water and drink bottles
Empty the drink and rinse away residue inside the bottle.
Disposal steps & cautions →Plastic packaging
Shampoo and detergent bottles
Empty the product and rinse residue from the container.
Disposal steps & cautions →Plastic packaging
Yogurt bottles and plastic food containers
Empty remaining food and remove residue from the inside and rim.
Disposal steps & cautions →Plastic packaging
Snack bags and plastic film packaging
Shake out crumbs or food and rinse areas with residue.
Disposal steps & cautions →Plastic packaging
Foam packaging boxes
Remove food, ice packs and other packing materials and sort them separately.
Disposal steps & cautions →Plastic packaging
Rubber and latex gloves
Remove trapped water and food residue, and check whether the gloves can still be reused.
Disposal steps & cautions →Local guides
Gangnam-gu, Seoul
This selection uses the app source's abbreviated area label, ‘Sinsa-dong and other areas’. That label does not establish identical arrangements for every building in Gangnam-gu. Apartment residents should first check their building's collection point and timetable.
View local guidance →Haeundae-gu, Busan
This is Haeundae-gu's guide for households that set waste outside the property. A set-out day refers to the evening you put waste out; collection continues overnight. Apartment complexes may have their own arrangements.
View local guidance →Yeonsu-gu, Incheon
This selection covers Seonhak-dong, Cheonghak-dong and Dongchun-dong within Yeonsu-gu. Songdo-dong and other neighbourhoods have different timetables or collection systems. The days below refer to setting waste out in the evening before collection.
View local guidance →Suwon, Gyeonggi-do
This guide covers setting waste outside homes and shops in Suwon. The app's source record is dated 2024-12-18; a separately reviewed 2026 city resident guide also lists the routine days and hours below. Follow separate instructions for apartments and designated collection points.
View local guidance →Seogwipo, Jeju
This selection describes Seogwipo's Clean House collection points. The source summarises recyclables as ‘daily’, but that does not mean every material is accepted every day. Check the posted material-specific timetable at a Clean House and the separate opening hours of recycling help centres.
View local guidance →Chuncheon, Gangwon-do
This selection shows two explicitly named collection zones from Chuncheon's source data. The Namsan-myeon entry covers only parts of each of Changchon-ri, Banggok-ri and Gangchon-ri. It does not replace the timetable for other neighbourhoods or collection zones.
View local guidance →