"Kimjang Waste, Please Dispose in Standard Volume-Based Waste Bags" ... Temporarily Allowed

Seoul City Operates Special Collection Period... Different Disposal Methods, Collection Periods, and Allowed Bags by District

At the 18th Love Kimchi Sharing Event held on the 5th in Baramdang in front of Seongbuk-gu Office in Seoul, Saemaeul Women's Association members are making kimchi to be delivered to local elderly living alone, disabled persons, and children-headed households. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Ahead of the kimchi-making season, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 13th that it will operate a special collection period for kimchi-making waste in 25 autonomous districts and temporarily allow residents to dispose of kimchi-making waste in general waste volume-based bags instead of food waste bags, depending on the region.

Currently, kimchi-making waste is classified as food waste and must be disposed of in food waste volume-based bags. However, since a large amount of kimchi-making waste is generated in households during November and December, it is inconvenient to dispose of it only in food waste bags. Therefore, in 20 autonomous districts including Jung-gu and Jongno-gu, disposal in general waste volume-based bags is permitted.

However, Yangcheon-gu requires the use of dedicated kimchi-making waste bags when disposing of kimchi-making waste, and Seodaemun-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seocho-gu, and Songpa-gu require the use of food waste volume-based bags. Gangnam-gu allows the use of both general volume-based bags and food waste volume-based bags.

Additionally, since the special collection period for kimchi-making waste, the size of permissible volume-based bags, and whether to mark the bags as kimchi-making waste vary by district, each household must check these details carefully. In particular, Seongdong-gu and Nowon-gu require that the bags be marked as kimchi-making waste when disposed of, and Eunpyeong-gu requires that a kimchi-making waste sticker be attached or the bag be marked accordingly.

Kimchi-making waste disposed of in general waste volume-based bags is taken to food waste treatment facilities and recycled as feed or compost resources, so general waste such as onion and green onion roots must be separated and disposed of separately.

Im Mi-kyung, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Living Environment Division, said, "We will promptly collect waste to prevent citizens from experiencing inconvenience due to kimchi-making waste during the kimchi-making season," and urged, "Citizens should minimize the generation of kimchi-making waste and strictly follow the disposal methods designated by each district to cooperate in proper waste separation and disposal."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.