Inside Korea’s Social Impact

  A few years ago, I saw a foreigner standing in front of several trash bins at a subway station, holding a disposable cup and hesitating. The bins were separated into categories like paper, plastic, and cans, and they seemed unsure where to throw their cup away. A passerby noticed the situation, asked what was wrong, and kindly pointed to the plastic bin.   For me, having been born and raised in Korea, separating waste is something very familiar. When I was young, my mother set up different bins at home for general waste, plastic, cans, and paper. My family naturally followed those rules.   Today, the system has become even more detailed. Waste is categorized into general waste, food waste, plastic, glass, metal (cans), paper, vinyl, and Styrofoam. General waste must be disposed of in designated paid garbage bags, while food waste must go into separate food waste bags or designated containers (which vary by region). Plastic labels must be removed and sorted separ...