Korean Job Discussion Forums

[superacidjax]

Here's a story in today's Herald that just cracked me up:

https://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2007/05/14/200705140044.asp

In a nutshell, it talks about the Korean government policy of removing trashcashs in order to reduce garbage. The morons in the Korean government actually think that fewer trashcans lead to less garbage.

WRONG. It just leads to more garbage ending up on the street. Idiots. They are committing the classic falacy of assuming correlation without causation.

Garbage levels are a function of consumption, not a function of trash bins.

If the country wants to reduce garbage, perhaps they should stop allowing food companies to individually package cookies when they are sold in big boxes. That's ridiculous, you buy a small cardboard box of cookies and every one of them is individually packaged. I understand that the reason is that you're supposed to share your cookies with everyone in the office right?

For being so modern, the Korean government is about as intelligent as a gnat. I'll be glad when I can move back to Paris, where street cleaning is an art.

[Scotticus]

While I agree it's idiotic, that's hardly a Korean issue. If you haven't noticed, every country in the world has a squad of autistic monkies running the show. How many countries can truly say their government doesn't do stuff like this on a fairly normal basis?

[billybrobby]

I think you're confusing two different issues. They're not trying to reduce the amount of garbage on the street, they're trying to reduce the overall amount of garbage whilst cracking down on illegal dumping. To me, removing garbage cans is not a bad idea for making illegal dumping harder, because it forces the offenders to be more blatant about it. The downside is that you ultimately end up with more garbage on the street, but perhaps less illegally dumped garbage and less garbage overall. I have no idea if the policy has been effective, but I can understand the logic.

[Ilsanman]

All these wacky trash laws and having to buy special bags, separate it and all...totally inconvenient and not sensible for a country that just doesn't have 2 shits about garbage.

What you end up with is a bunch of trash ninjas going out at midnight to throw out garbage.

[superacidjax]

[JD1982]

I think it makes perfect sense.

With unemployment in Korea becoming grave social problem, they need to create more jobs. Therefore, the solution is to create one problem (more trash and dirty streets/parks) to solve other problem (high unemployment) by hiring more street cleaners and trash collectors.

Does that make sense?

[billybrobby]

[in_seoul_2003]

...

[antoniothegreat]

near the bottom it reads

"Despite the growing complaints from citizens, the government claims that it cannot think of a better solution to prevent illegal waste dumping.

"Frankly speaking, I think citizens should think whether they have been honoring the garbage policy properly to ask the government for more public trashcans," said an official of the Environment Ministry, asking for anonymity. "

If that is the case, shouldn't those government officials just step down, since obviously they are not doing their job? God, what would happen if Bush said to America "well honestly, I can't come up with a better solution for Iraq, so you guys should think of it for me or just shut up."

great politicing there...

[BuHaoChi]

....

[babtangee]

[samd]

About a year ago one of my Korean friends asked me what I disliked most about Seoul. I could have said any number of things, but figured that "not enough trash cans" was diplomatic enough.

He said they there used to be a lot more, but they were constantly overloaded by illegally dumped household waste. This seems to be backed up by information in this post.

So it seems like the problem is garbage removal. In a city as dense as Seoul, you need an efficient system for getting the waste off the streets, which doesn't exist here, trash cans or no. Where's Tony Soprano when you need him?

There are trash cans everywhere where I come from, and the streets are much cleaner. Seems to destroy the "less trash cans = less waste theory". I never litter at home - it used to be impossible for me to drop gum, but here... I do it all the time. I'm not carrying an empty can around with me for hours.

[Gwangjuboy]

I think there are other ways of detering would-be flytippers. Many flytippers in Korea don't actually use the litter bins that you see in the street; they drive to obscure parts of town or even into the country to dump their rubbish. Another common place to dump rubbish is on the hard shoulder of the motor way. You can often see signs there which read, (one of those sentences which is great in Korean)

쓰레기를 몰래 버리는 것은 양심을 버리는 것이다
(throwing away rubbish secretly is like throwing away your conscience)

Increasing the fines for offenders might be one detterent. The authorities could target hotspots. I personally feel that the removal of litterbins is a stupid idea. There aren't enough of them as it is. Actually targeting the places where flytippers operate sounds like a better idea. I work in the countryside and there is a quiet back road which is full of bags of rubbish and broken desks etc. There isn't a litterbin anywhere near there.

[seoulsucker]

[billybrobby]