Two different questions
- Item rules — is a receipt paper, is an eggshell food waste. Korea’s Ministry of Environment sets these nationally.
- Local rules — collection days and times, where to put things out, which trash bags to buy, how to book bulky waste pickup. Your city or district and your building decide these.
National guideline
The Ministry of Environment’s recycling separation guideline lists how to sort paper, cartons, plastic, film, cans and glass, plus tricky items like receipts, ice packs and broken glass. It is the most accurate source, but it is a long Korean PDF, which is hard to use while standing over the bins.
District website
Each district office (gu-cheong) website has a waste section with local collection days, online bulky waste booking and trash bag prices. For local rules this is the answer. Many districts also publish foreign-language leaflets.
Item search app
The Android app "Waste Sorting Guide" is built for the first question. The item data lives inside the app, so it works without a connection, and it runs fully in English.
Search by item name
Type the item in English or Korean. Aliases work too, so "bubble wrap" finds the right entry. The home screen keeps your recently viewed items and today’s sorting tip.
Browse by category
The Categories tab groups everything into Plastic, Cans & Metal, Glass, Paper, Plastic film, Styrofoam, Food waste, General waste and Bulky / Special. Each item shows How to dispose and Notes & tips, with a reminder that local rules may differ.
Side by side
| National guideline | District website | Item search app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to sort an item | Most accurate | Varies by district | Fast search |
| Your collection days | No | Yes | Reminders you set |
| Bulky waste booking | No | Yes | Explains only |
| English | Mostly Korean | Some districts | Yes |
| Offline | If saved | No | Yes |
Since January 2026, household trash in the Seoul metropolitan area (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon) can no longer go straight into landfill; it has to be incinerated or recycled first. Getting recyclables out of the trash bag matters more than before.
FAQ
What if the app and my district disagree?
Follow your district. The app shows the national standard; your district does the actual collection.
Is the app free?
Yes. There is a banner ad, which you can hide for 3 days by watching a rewarded ad. Every item and disposal method is available without watching anything.
Waste Sorting Guide - Recycle
Search offline, no sign-up. Free on Android.