NOW

Walking around Seoul with an empty cup can sometimes turn into a small search mission. After Korea introduced pay-as-you-throw waste fees in 1995, household and business trash began appearing in public bins, and many street bins were removed.

7,607 TO 3,707

Seoul says the number of street bins fell from 7,607 in 1995 to 3,707 by 2007.

THEN THE CITY ADDED THEM BACK

As complaints about the shortage grew, Seoul began expanding them again. The city counted 6,940 in 2022 and announced 657 additional bins for 2023.

Sources & context

2026-09-18

news.seoul.go.kr ↗