The rubbish rules in a Korean rental: the bag, the bin, the evening

A short-term rental in Seoul usually comes with a door code, a Wi-Fi password, and a line in the house manual about rubbish that most guests skim. In Korea, household waste is paid for by the bag, sorted by material, and collected on each district's own schedule. That line matters more than it looks.

The bag you have to buy

General waste goes into a standard volume-rate bag, the jongnyangje bongtu (종량제 봉투). Convenience stores and supermarkets sell them, often from behind the counter, so ask the cashier for one by name. Each bag is printed with the district it belongs to, and one bought in Mapo-gu is not meant for the kerb in Jongno-gu. The smallest sizes cost a few hundred won, and a 10-litre bag covers several days for two people.

Food waste is its own stream

Leftovers, fruit peel and vegetable trimmings go into a separate food-waste bag or a shared bin, sometimes a card-operated machine in an apartment block. Because this stream becomes feed or compost, chicken bones, eggshells, shellfish shells and hard fruit stones count as general waste. Drain off liquid first; hosts notice.

Recycling and the timing

Plastic, cans, glass and paper are sorted separately and rinsed, and labels come off PET bottles where they peel. Recycling costs nothing but goes out only on set evenings. The notice by the building entrance lists the days, usually in Korean only.

Before a morning flight, tie the bag the night before and ask the host where it goes. An unmarked bag left by the door can mean a fine, and the fine goes to the host, not to you.

일반쓰레기는 종량제 봉투에, 음식물 쓰레기는 따로 버려 주세요.