If you’ve been here a while, you know that garbage disposal is a little different in South Korea than it is in the States. Here, you must purchase special garbage bags specific to the district in which you reside or else your garbage will not be picked up that week.

A new rule, however, is allowing residents to use any garbage bag regardless of the region. This is to cut down in waste from moving district to district and having to purchase new bags.

The rule, which took effect in September, also means you can now buy standard garbage bags at any convenience store or chain supermarket wherever you shop.

While you’re getting your standard trash bags, don’t forget to pick up bags exclusively for food waste. These are required and the cost for the bags vary by district. Not all food waste can go in these bags since this waste is used for fodder and fertilizer.

These are foods that should not go into the food disposal bags: Eggshells, crustacean shells (crawfish, crab, lobster, etc), clamshells, seeds (peach, apricot stones), rind of veggies (garlic, onion, ginger), rind of fruits (watermelon, pineapple), shell of nuts, animal bones (beef, pork, chicken, etc), fish bones, tea-leaf, clamshells, animal bones (beef, pork, chicken, etc).

No need to remember all of these items. If you think an animal can eat it, then it more than likely should go in the food waste bag.

For more information on garbage disposal visit https://www.pyeongtaek.go.kr/en/contents.do?mId=0203020000.

Speakin’ Korean: Trash Talk!

- Do you have standard waste garbage bags? il-ban sseu-le-gi bong-tu iss-eo-yo?

- Do you have food waste garbage bags? Eum-sik-mul sseu-le-gi bong-tu iss-eo-yo?

- How many bags do you need? Myeot-jang pi-ryo-ha-se-yo?

- I would like to have (ten) bags. (Yeol)-jang ju-se-yo. (Five: Tasot, Thirty: Seo-reun)

- What (liter) size bag do you need? Myeot ri-teo-jja-ri pi-ryo-ha-se-yo?

- I would like to have (10) liter-sized garbage bags. (Sip)-ri-teo-jja-ri-ro ju-se-yo. (Five: O, Twenty: isip)