South Korea: Green with a Twist

The view from my apartment: Sanbon is definitely a green place.

As trendy as it is to be green in the States, in South Korea it is a lifestyle that is strictly adhered to. To give an example how serious it is here to be earth friendly, you will literally get chewed out if you recycle something in the wrong container. Luckily, if you're an expat such as myself, you can always play the DFC, or Dumb Foreigner Card and hopefully that will get you off the hook. It probably doesn't, but it's still a card I wield when necessary.

My building has roughly 12 different types of recycling containers, maybe more. Koreans sort their trash (not entirely sure what constitutes trash, because they seem to recycle everything) and their various recyclables. All the containers are labelled in Korean, but from what I can tell there are 4 different types of plastics, paper, cardboard, glass, hard metals, ceramics, compost, large broken items (?), rubber and aluminum. There's also a separate section for discarded furniture and household items, which are usually scavenged by other tenants. "Dumpster diving" is a popular way to get "new" furniture and an enjoyable activity for many people. I haven't found any treasures yet, but you can be sure that I'll write about it when I do!

Here are some other ways that Korea is green, which truly amaze me:

• It's difficult to find hand soap in pump bottles. Instead, you buy your own empty pump bottle and fill it with liquid soap that comes in - of course - a recyclable bag.
• Almost everything comes in completely recyclable packaging. From popsicles to pencils.
• No dryers anywhere. Instead, energy-conscious Koreans line dry all their laundry. While I can appreciate the hug I'm giving Mother Earth when I line dry my clothes, I would prefer if the hug my clothes gave me wasn't so... crispy.
• Public transportation is paramount here. It helps (a little) with the congestion and smog. It's pretty unnecessary to own a car in South Korea.
• They rarely use disposable plates, bowls and cups. Even when we went on a picnic for camp day a few weeks ago, everyone brought real dishes.
• If all this wasn't enough, you get your trash bag when you buy your groceries. Instead of asking for a paper or plastic bag at the checkout, you literally ask for a "trash bag" ("saregi bontu"). It's small by American standards, which serves as a reminder that you shouldn't be throwing a lot of stuff away.

Here's the twist: there are no public trashcans anywhere. Instead, Koreans throw their trash on the ground. Seriously. Despite this seemingly filthy behavior, the streets are pretty clean. The reason? Trash on the ground provides jobs. Don't ask me why emptying trash cans isn't considered a job, but anywhere you go, you'll see people in blue jumpsuits picking up little bits of trash with giant tongs.

I still can't bring myself to throw trash on the ground, but I'm also probably throwing away various things I should be recycling. I just never know, although I'm sure my Korean neighbors will help keep me in line if they catch me throwing away a used tissue or some old gum.