Korea Trash Sorting Guide for Airbnb Guests: Rubbish, Food Waste & Recycling Explained

One of the first things that surprises visitors staying in Korean apartments — whether through Airbnb, a guesthouse, or a short-term rental — is the rubbish system. Korea does not operate a simple “bin it and forget it” approach. Waste disposal is governed by national law, enforced at the district level, and carries real fines for non-compliance.

The good news: once you understand the logic, it is genuinely straightforward. The even better news: most hosts leave instructions. This guide is for when they don’t — or when you want to understand the why behind the rules.

The Three-Category System at a Glance

Everything you throw away in Korea falls into one of these three buckets. The critical rule: they must never be mixed.

1. General Rubbish — 종량제봉투 (The Pay-Per-Bag System)

Korea introduced the 종량제봉투 (jongnyangjae bongtu) system in 1995 — one of the world’s earliest volume-based waste fee schemes. The idea is simple: you pay for the bag, and the price reflects the amount of rubbish you generate. The more you throw away, the more you pay. This dramatically reduced landfill waste and is widely credited with making Korea one of the world’s most efficient recycling nations.

What goes in it

Anything that cannot be recycled or composted: tissues, dust, broken ceramics, food-contaminated packaging, cigarette butts, hygiene products, and similar non-recyclable waste.

Bag sizes and prices

Bags come in standard sizes — 2L, 3L, 5L, 10L, 20L, 50L, 75L, and 100L. For an Airbnb stay, the 5L or 10L bag is usually sufficient.

Prices vary by district and municipality — Seoul’s prices differ from Busan’s, and even within Seoul, Seocho-gu prices differ from Mapo-gu. Always buy the bag sold for the correct district. Using a bag from a different district is technically a violation.

Bag colours

Colours also vary by district. In Seoul, most general rubbish bags are white or light-coloured with the district name printed on them. Your host’s neighbourhood convenience store will sell the right one.

Where to buy

Convenience stores (편의점) — CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, Emart24 — are the easiest option. Ask for 종량제봉투 at the counter, or look for them near the till. Supermarkets and local grocery shops also stock them.

Airbnb tip: Many hosts leave one or two bags in the kitchen. If you see a bag with Korean text and a volume printed on it, that is your rubbish bag. Do not use it as a liner and throw it away — use it as intended.

2. Food Waste — 음식물쓰레기 (The System That Surprises Everyone)

Korea’s food waste system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Since 2013, sending food waste to landfill has been completely banned. Instead, it is composted or converted into animal feed and biogas — but only if it is properly sorted.

Food waste must be:

• Drained of moisture before disposal (wet food waste is heavier and harder to process)
• Placed in a dedicated food waste bag (음식물쓰레기 전용봉투) or deposited in your building’s communal food waste bin

What IS food waste (음식물쓰레기)

The defining test is: could an animal eat it? If yes, it is food waste.

• Cooked and raw vegetables (soft parts)
• Fruit (soft skins and flesh — banana peel, orange peel, watermelon rind)
• Leftover rice, noodles, bread
• Meat scraps (soft tissue only — not hard bones)
• Fish flesh (not spiny bones)
• Dairy and eggs
• Kimchi, doenjang (된장), and other fermented foods — but drain excess liquid first

What is NOT food waste ⚠️

This is where most foreigners go wrong. The following items cannot go in the food waste bin — they go in the regular 종량제봉투:

Food waste bags

Food waste bags (음식물쓰레기 봉투) are typically green or yellow and sold in the same places as 종량제봉투 — convenience stores and supermarkets. Common sizes for a short stay are 1L or 2L.

Some apartment buildings use a communal food waste bin (음식물 수거용기) instead of individual bags. In that case, you simply deposit your drained food scraps directly into the shared bin — no bag purchase needed. Your host will know which system applies to their building.

3. Recyclables — 재활용품 (Sort by Material, Rinse First)

Recyclables in Korea do not go in a bag. They are sorted by material type and deposited in separate labelled bins located in your building’s recycling area (분리수거장) — typically near the entrance, in the basement carpark, or in a designated outdoor spot.

The golden rule for all recyclables: 비우고, 헹구고, 분리하여 — empty, rinse, separate.

Plastic — 플라스틱

• Rinse out any food or drink residue
• Remove labels where possible
• Bottles should be flattened
• Goes in the plastic bin

Transparent PET Bottles — 투명페트병 ⚠️ MANDATORY SEPARATION

This is Korea’s most recently enforced recycling rule and the one that catches people out most often.

Clear, transparent plastic drink and water bottles must be separated from all other plastics and placed in their own dedicated bin (usually labelled 투명페트병). The process:

1. Empty and rinse the bottle
2. Remove the label entirely
3. Flatten the bottle
4. Close the lid (so it does not unravel)
5. Place in the 투명페트병 bin — not the general plastic bin

Fines for non-compliance: ₩100,000 for a first offence, up to ₩300,000 for repeat violations. Enforcement increased significantly in 2022–2023.

Paper and Cardboard — 종이류

• Remove all tape, staples, and plastic windows from cardboard boxes
• Flatten boxes
• Keep dry — wet paper cannot be recycled
• Pizza boxes with heavy grease staining go in the general rubbish bag
• Milk cartons: rinse, flatten, place with paper

Cans — 캔류

• Rinse out food and drink residue
• Aluminium and steel cans go together
• Do not put cigarette ends or other waste inside
• Compress if possible

Glass — 유리병

• Rinse out contents
• Remove metal lids (these go with cans)
• Place in the glass bin
• Broken glass: wrap carefully in newspaper or paper before placing in the general rubbish bag — it cannot be recycled once broken

Plastic Film / Vinyl — 비닐류

Plastic bags, cling film, and other flexible plastic film are a separate category from hard plastics.

• Collect in a clear bag
• Must be clean — no food residue
• Deposit in the vinyl/film bin

Styrofoam — 스티로폼

• Remove all tape and stickers
• Must be clean — no food stains or grease
• Do not break into small pieces (they scatter and cannot be collected)
• Large pieces from electronics packaging: deposit whole

Where to Find the Recycling Area in Your Airbnb Building

Recycling areas (분리수거장) are almost always located in one of these spots:

• Ground floor near the building entrance — look for a row of coloured bins
• Basement carpark — common in apartment complexes
• Outdoor enclosure at the side or rear of the building

If in doubt, ask your host — or look for other residents taking rubbish out and follow where they go. In Korea, neighbours take this seriously enough that incorrect disposal is noticed.

Quick Reference: Disposal Times

Many residential buildings in Korea have designated rubbish collection times, typically evening hours (from around 6 PM or later). Some districts collect only on specific weekdays. Your host should advise — but if no instructions are given, evening disposal is generally safe.

Summary Cheat Sheet

Getting rubbish sorting right in a Korean Airbnb is one of those small acts of respect that locals genuinely appreciate. It takes a little adjustment on the first day — and then becomes second nature by the time you check out.