Everyday life in Korea
How to sort everyday waste in Korea
Step-by-step disposal guidance for bottles, packaging, food scraps and other everyday items in South Korea.
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 →Paper and cartons
Newspapers, books and magazines
Remove plastic wrapping and non-paper inserts from books and magazines.
Disposal steps & cautions →Paper and cartons
Delivery and cardboard boxes
Empty the box and separate film, cushioning and any remaining contents.
Disposal steps & cautions →Paper and cartons
Milk, juice and soy-milk cartons
Empty the drink and rinse the inside to remove residue.
Disposal steps & cautions →Paper and cartons
Thermal-paper receipts
Identify whether the receipt is thermal paper, as commonly used by shop and payment terminals.
Disposal steps & cautions →Paper and cartons
Greasy pizza boxes
Remove leftover food, sauce containers, film and any liner from the box.
Disposal steps & cautions →Paper and cartons
Coated paper and photographs
Check for photographic paper, waterproof coatings or plastic layers rather than treating every paper-like item as ordinary paper.
Disposal steps & cautions →Paper and cartons
Paper shopping bags
Empty the bag and remove fabric or plastic cords, ribbons and plastic handles.
Disposal steps & cautions →Cans and metal
Drink and food cans
Empty the drink or food and rinse residue from inside the can.
Disposal steps & cautions →Cans and metal
Metal pots, pans and kettles
Remove food and grease, then check whether the body is metal.
Disposal steps & cautions →Glass and non-burnable waste
Glass drink, soju and beer bottles
Empty the bottle and rinse residue from the inside.
Disposal steps & cautions →Glass and non-burnable waste
Heat-resistant, tempered and crystal glass
Use the product information to distinguish an ordinary packaging bottle from heat-resistant, tempered or crystal glass.
Disposal steps & cautions →Glass and non-burnable waste
Broken glass
Collect shards without handling them with bare hands. Do not drop loose pieces into ordinary bottle-glass recycling.
Disposal steps & cautions →Glass and non-burnable waste
Ceramics, crockery and mirrors
Keep ceramics, crockery and mirrors separate from bottle-glass collection, even when they look similar to glass.
Disposal steps & cautions →Food waste exclusions
Egg and quail-egg shells
Separate the egg contents from the hard shell. Keep the shell out of the food-waste container.
Disposal steps & cautions →Food waste exclusions
Hard beef, pork and chicken bones
Separate easily removable meat and food scraps from the bones and check the food-waste instructions for those scraps.
Disposal steps & cautions →Food waste exclusions
Shellfish and crab shells
Separate remaining food from hard shellfish or crustacean shells where practical.
Disposal steps & cautions →Separate collection
Household batteries and power banks
Remove only batteries designed for safe user removal; do not force an embedded battery out of a device.
Disposal steps & cautions →Separate collection
Mobile phones and smartphones
Before disposal, transfer anything you need and take care of account data, personal information, SIM and memory cards.
Disposal steps & cautions →