Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Qinella]

At our apartment there's this old guy wearing a security guard uniform, but really he is just a trash center maintenance deputy. I remember my first time bringing down garbage, he intercepted me before I could even get there, took all my bags of recyclables off my hands with a grunt and a grumble, and sorted it for me, telling me that I can't just put it all in one can.

The trash center at our place couldn't be easier. There are giant cannisters for each type of recyclable, and an area for the green bags. Even a little can to put the shopping bag I bring it all down in. It's really not complicated. But every time I've gone down there and he's been there, he's watched me like a hawk, making comments to guide me along. It's so strange.

Well, I've been living here almost a year now, and I think he feels comfortable with me disposing of my garbage now. He was watching me sort it all the other day, and when I finished he exclaimed to me how well I'd done it. Now, this dude's accent is unwieldy, and he conjugates words that Sejong the Great surely did not intend to be smooshed together, but I was pretty damn sure what he said was 잘 했어! (well done!) I repeated it back to him, because it was such an unseemly thing to say, and he was beaming! A smile of obvious pride at observing the product of his erudite tutelage.

I saw someone else mention something about the trash nazi at their building on here awhile back and thought it worth bringing up. Anyone have a similar situation?

[Snowmeow]

My trash nazi is my landlord, and rather than show me how to do it they reported me to the Municipality. I got a letter from the Court of Justice. Going home in 39 days...

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

tale of two kitties...

[Drew345]

My building regularly has signs posted that some evil person has been using trash bags of the wrong color and if that person is found, they will be evicted from the building. We are near a university but in a different zone than the university, so people often try to use university color bags by mistake.
The funny thing is that right in front of the building is a big pile of old bike parts and broken bicycles that have been there for the full two years I have lived here. No problem here, no effort to clean it up.
So you can put a pile of garbage right in front of the building with no problem at all, but if the wrong color bag goes in the garbage bin, you will be evicted. I guess the moral is don't use the trash bins, just put your garbage elsewhere on the property. I know that isn't right, and I would never do that; but honestly, that is what this rule has deteriorated into.
I have become a fan of recycling, just seems a little more logic needs to be applied here in my buildings case.

[babtangee]

We got two of them. Uniformed, just like yours. One doesn't care what you do. The other is insane. He once went nuts on some poor old ajumma who was messing up his recyclables. Sure, she should be able to read the clearly labelled bags, but telling her she "should stay inside if [she's] too useless to do the job properly," in front of half a dozen strangers was a bit heavy-handed.

I just give him the stink-eye if he comes near me when I'm doing that most hated of chores.

[venus]

Ha ha. Whenever I take my rubbish out to the skip, whichever adjumas happen to be around at the time turn into 'Trash Nazi's' They'll grab at my bags and shake them fervantly, whilst clacking and hissing and pointing vigorously at different bins. I just throw them off and chuck the bag away, give them a wink and walk away.

I understand the reason they do it though.

A lot of foriegners just stick all their rubbish in one big green recycle bag, no seperating the plastics, papers, food scraps etc and placing them in the propper bins.

I must confes I decided to refuse to bother after the first time these clacking, hissing medusas assaulted me. Had they been polite, I'd probably have done it, but not now.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[query29]

My trash Nazi actually takes the bags from me and sorts through my garbage. I've only been here a month and this was quite an uncomfortable experience for me. So we played a game of reverse hot potato with my garbage, where I would grab the bag and say "NO" as if she were a bad pet, and she would grab it right back and speak more slowly in Korean because obviously that helps.

The funny thing is that the collection area is a total mess. No labels on the makeshift bags they use to separate materials and there is constantly trash on the floor. I think I could probably dump all my trash on the floor over the course of the entire year and no one would know the difference.

[pkang0202]

I'm the trash nazi. Well, I'm the only one in my building and there are no trash bins outside, and there's no security guy. I just separate what I can, and just dump the bags on the side of the street. Literally, I walk out my front door and just chuck the bags on the side of the street.

Sure enough, the next day the trash bags are gone.

[kat2]

Guys, if someone wants to take your trash or recyclables and sort it for you, why are you complaining!?!? I love when my trash ajummas do that for me.

[Octavius Hite]

I don't recycle, it all goes in the city garbage bag and out on the street, they can pay someone to sort it, I don't care.

[passport220]

[MANDRL]

Just two days ago after I got back into my apartment from taking out the trash my fiancee and I had a discussion similar to this thread. We were trying to decide if Trash Troll or Garbage Nazi was a better term and alas, this thread appears. How funny. Our trash nazi will appear out of nowhere watching and waiting for me to put trash in the wrong bin. I think he is waiting for the moment I mess up so he can storm over and send my soul to hell.

[caniff]

I have a 'villa' apartment next door to a boshintang restaurant. At our apartment we use those really big trash bags and orange recycling bags, and keep them outside our apartment door (nobody seems to care, they are out of the way, and we make sure they don't get stinky).

Anyway, I will usually cram the fullest amount possible into them, tie them up, and walk them outside to the street.

Without fail, 2 minutes later the bosintang adjumma will come running out with a small bag of trash, untie the bag I had just put there, and wrestle with the thing for 10 minutes to get her bag in.

She is always successful (I have been bored and watched her do this on several occasions). How does she do it? Adjummas really do have special powers.

[Qinella]