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wanderingsalsero
Joined: 23 Dec 2006
Location: Houston, TX.
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 Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:25 am Post subject: Why are the Koreans so strange regarding garbage? |
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Seems to me that any hi tech society or country that values the time of it's citizens would have a garbage system like we do in the US.....i.e. everything goes in the bag and it's sorted out at the garbage plant. Is that so much to ask?
I refuse to play the garbage separating game 100%. Generally I will separate my metal and glass, and sometimes my vegatable stuff. But if it's not specifically one of those categories, screw it.......it goes in the 'big bag' along with everything else.
Does anybody have any idea why the Koreans are so hung up about separating garbage? Considering that they do seem to like nice modern kitchens, I can't understate their attitudes with garbage. They give it as much attention as their kids almost. |
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Missihippi
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Location: Gwangmyeong
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:40 am Post subject: |
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| hang on, lemme go ask the people down at Kim's Club that have 8 people directing traffic in a 2 story parking garage. |
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alphakennyone
Joined: 01 Aug 2005
Location: city heights
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:44 am Post subject: |
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| It's much worse in Japan |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:03 am Post subject: |
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| alphakennyone wrote: |
| It's much worse in Japan |
You betcha. Sorting out the recycling in Japan was my biggest household chore of the week.
It's a cute little cost-saving trick by local governments. Get your citizens to sort the recycling themselves. Then you don't have to pay so many workers at the recycling plant.
My apartment complex recycles every Thursday. At this point in time, we have no less than 20 different big sacks for every kind of plastic, cardboard, glass and metal imaginable......it's crazy! You need to have a PHD in materials to get it right!............. "Is this thermo-setting plastic or polyurethane?" |
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furtakk
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:28 am Post subject: |
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uhhh
am i the only one who doesn't recycle at all....?
granted i don't produce much garbage, but i don't even know how to recycle here. my apartment is tiny and we just leave our garbage in this area by the side of the building. no bins, just a drop off point. |
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alphakennyone
Joined: 01 Aug 2005
Location: city heights
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:41 am Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
| alphakennyone wrote: |
| It's much worse in Japan |
You betcha. Sorting out the recycling in Japan was my biggest household chore of the week.
It's a cute little cost-saving trick by local governments. Get your citizens to sort the recycling themselves. Then you don't have to pay so many workers at the recycling plant.
My apartment complex recycles every Thursday. At this point in time, we have no less than 20 different big sacks for every kind of plastic, cardboard, glass and metal imaginable......it's crazy! You need to have a PHD in materials to get it right!............. "Is this thermo-setting plastic or polyurethane?" |
The thing is, in Korea, I could get away with things like, say, not thoroughly licking the jar of spaghetti sauce clean before throwing it into the recycle and miscellaneous nonsense like tin foil I could throw into the regular garbage (since I paid a "high price" for the garbage bags anyway).
Not in Japan. If there was any perceived slight with your waste bags, it was red X of death and it didn't get picked up. Bit of cheese left in your recyclable cardboard pizza box? NO WASTE PICKUP FOR YOU. Left the plastic cap on one of your PET bottles? NO WASTE PICKUP FOR YOU.
That and almost every day another type of recycle/waste was being picked up and they didn't like you putting things out early. Usually in Korea you can throw your stuff out in the back whenever you want.
God help you if you miss the day they pick up aluminum cans (beer) and glass bottles (beer/whiskey) - once every other week. |
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Cheonmunka
Joined: 04 Jun 2004
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:35 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, I've got about 100 bottles sitting on my steps waiting for bottle day - Wed. I think. Can't be bothered getting it ready and carting it down .. Shoot, what if I miss the truck, gotta bring it all back up again. |
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gaffe
Joined: 06 Aug 2009
Location: N.C.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:31 am Post subject: |
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| The grossest thing in Korea (at least where I was) was the slop truck that picked up the green can full of veggie waste. Man did that smell nasty. In Japan I gave up. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I ended up tossing a lot of garbage late at night in other people's apts or zones. But sodai gomi was awesome! |
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Forward Observer
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Location: FOB Gloria
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Recycle? In the Korean countryside, they burn their trash... |
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Conrad B Hart
Joined: 27 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't know why, but I felt sure this thread was going to be about K-Pop. |
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climber159
Joined: 02 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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| I stopped trying to figure it out long ago. I can't even figure out where to put my trash. And where do I get one of those food waste containers? All my recyclables go in E-Mart bags, and everything else in garbage bags. I wait until 2am, look both ways, and toss 'em out. Everything's usually gone by first light. |
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gmarthews
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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Where I live(ed) in the UK we have to get pretty down and dirty with sorting all our rubbish but I agree it's hardcore in Korea, the bag of food waste is the skankiest, nastiest thing ever and I'm not looking forward to doing that again tbh.
When I lived in Manchester the council were so strict about the rubbish that you'd sometimes see them rummaging through your bins with a camera to see if they could find a bill or something with your address/name on to incriminate you if you hadn't separated it correctly. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject: Re: Why are the Koreans so strange regarding garbage? |
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| wanderingsalsero wrote: |
| Seems to me that any hi tech society or country that values the time of it's citizens would have a garbage system like we do in the US.....i.e. everything goes in the bag and it's sorted out at the garbage plant. Is that so much to ask? |
Strong assumption your making there.
As in, this doesn't happen .... you really believe that they sort it out later?
If it goes in one bag, they will burn it up. They do not sort it out.
| Quote: |
I refuse to play the garbage separating game 100%. Generally I will separate my metal and glass, and sometimes my vegatable stuff. But if it's not specifically one of those categories, screw it.......it goes in the 'big bag' along with everything else. |
Please respect the rules of the land.
| Quote: |
Does anybody have any idea why the Koreans are so hung up about separating garbage? Considering that they do seem to like nice modern kitchens, I can't understate their attitudes with garbage. They give it as much attention as their kids almost. |
Europeans do it too, what is your problem dude, or should I say, Lazy 455.
Maybe it's time you change your attitude. |
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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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| climber159 wrote: |
| I stopped trying to figure it out long ago. I can't even figure out where to put my trash. And where do I get one of those food waste containers? All my recyclables go in E-Mart bags, and everything else in garbage bags. I wait until 2am, look both ways, and toss 'em out. Everything's usually gone by first light. |
I do this.
There used to be a plastic bag to put glass and plastic in but it's gone now so I dump my recyclables down the street in emart bags. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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The OP sounds pretty lazy.
Seriously, how hard is it? I keep a large bin in my apt. for bottles and metals, a bag for papers, and a small bin/bag under the counter for food garbage. Once a week, I bring them all downstairs and toss them.
Total time, including the elevator, 10 mins. |
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