How does recycling work in Korea? My building has different rules than online guides.

Recycling in Korea is one of the most confusing aspects of daily life for newcomers. Here is a comprehensive breakdown. The basic system: you buy designated trash bags (jongnyangje bags) from your local convenience store or supermarket. These are district-specific. If you live in Mapo-gu, you buy Mapo bags. They come in different sizes (5L, 10L, 20L, 50L) and are color-coded by district. Using the wrong district's bags will get your trash rejected or fined. General waste goes in these paid bags. Everything else gets sorted: - Paper/cardboard: flatten and bundle with string - Plastic: rinse containers, remove labels, crush them - Glass bottles: separate by color if your building requires it - Cans: rinse and crush - Styrofoam: break into pieces, put in a separate bag (clear bag usually) The reason online guides may not match your building is because every apartment complex and neighborhood has slightly different collection days and sorting rules. Your building's management office (gwallisil) is the actual authority. Check the bins in your building and read the signs, or ask your building manager. Food waste is the part that trips up most foreigners. There are two systems depending on your building: 1. RFID bins: you tap your resident card on the bin, it opens, you dump food waste in, and you are charged by weight. Most newer apartments have this. 2. Yellow food waste bags: buy at convenience stores (small and expensive on purpose, around 300-400 KRW per bag). Fill and put out on collection day. What counts as food waste: anything an animal could eat (leftover rice, vegetable scraps, fruit peels, meat scraps, eggshells). What does NOT count: bones (chicken, pork, beef), shellfish shells, nut shells, tea bags, coffee grounds with the filter. These go in general waste. Fines are real. Putting general waste out in a regular plastic bag instead of paid bags can result in a 100,000 KRW fine, and up to 1,000,000 KRW for repeat offenders. Buildings have CCTV and will track violations. For large items (furniture, appliances), you need to buy a large waste sticker (daehyeong pyegi mul) from your gu office or online through the district website (3,000 to 20,000 KRW depending on the item). For bulk disposal when moving, search for 폐기물 처리 on Naver (100,000-300,000 KRW). Clothing and textiles go in the separate clothing collection bins (white metal containers near apartment complexes).