Yellow bags are meant for all food waste, old and new. In my area, clear plastic bags can be used to store plastic and cardboard boxes can be used for cardboard items. Paper can go into a clear plastic bag as well, but it must be separate from the other plastics. Some areas may use different colors or rules for their trash pick-up since it depends on the neighborhood. However, this is usually what we have to do with our trash in Seongbuk-gu!
South Korean law makes it mandatory to recycle. In fact, not following this law can result in a nasty fine! Why might that be? In South Korea, there is very limited space, making it very difficult to make room for places like landfills. There has also been a growing concern around the environment which led to the idea that citizens should try to recycle all recyclable items. The recycled items benefit the country in various ways. For example, all of the food recycled in the yellow food bags goes to help feed pigs on farms to help out farmers!
Luckily, everyone in South Korea is very law-abiding when it comes to recycling. The Korean government provides very inexpensive trash bags as a way for you to pay for pick-up. They even provide certain places to store your furniture and clothing to be recycled. It's very easy to make a trip to the store and buy a heap of bags for nearly no cost to help out the environment. South Koreans will also be very kind in helping you learn how to recycle so that you don't experience someone fishing in your trash to make sure you sorted it correctly!
