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“Are onion skins not food waste?” “Do I have to remove the cap from a glass bottle before throwing it out?”
These questions came quickly during a waste sorting workshop for international students at Dongguk University’s Hyehwa Hall in central Seoul on June 17. About 20 participants followed the session in Korean and English, learning how to sort general waste, food waste and recyclables, as well as when to put trash out for collection. Many nodded as instructors explained rules that can feel routine to Koreans but confusing to newcomers.
International students attend a waste sorting workshop at Dongguk University in Jung District, central Seoul, June 17. Korea Times photo by Kim Ji-seob
Cristina, 31, from Peru, said the system was difficult to understand when she first arrived because waste is not separated the same way in her home country.
