Trash Talk

Let's talk about trash. I've never trash-talked so much in my life. I'm literally talking about trash! It kind of reminds me of Car Talk on public radio. Everyone calls in to Click and Clack and describes their car problems by imitating the sounds the car makes when it pushes 60 mph. However, in Korea we've encountered a whole new world of trash. I wish there was a radio station I could call into and ask my trash questions. Let me explain further. In Korea, garbage disposals are illegal, there are very few public trash cans that line the street and recycling is basically mandatory.

Everything must be separated. It's not like back home when you get your nice blue bin and stick your newspapers and bottles inside it and then place it on the corner. You need to buy special government stamped trash bags for the trash that gets burned. The rest gets recycled. This includes any scraps of food that would normally go down a garbage disposal. The trash shed behind our building basically has three rooms: one for the food (which I think gets used for compost or fertilizer), one for plastics, glass and cans, and one for card boards and paper. And not to worry if you think you are putting something into the wrong bin because the trash policeman whose job is to patrol the trash house will straighten you out. Frankly, I avoid this all together and make it Steve's job. But it's pretty disgusting to have to scrape all of your food into one container or clean out the special traps placed in your sink. And sometimes it's just confusing as to what trash is considered recyclable and what is burnable. Hence my many conversations about and complaining about the trash come up with my other American friends. It just always seems to pop up in a conversation.

So next time you turn on that garbage disposal or throw some trash into your Hefty Glad bags, please think about us separating our trash, going down twelve flights and about 250 feet to our fly infested and who knows what else, smelly trash shed.