"This Isn't Right, Someone Could Throw Out Their Back"... Triple-Layered Garbage Bags Tightly Bound with Tape

Garbage Piled on Top of Garbage Bags: 'Sneaky Disposal' Draws Ire
Overloaded Bags Increase Risk of Injury for Sanitation Workers

Recently, there have been a growing number of cases where some citizens are disposing of their garbage through illicit methods. One such instance, in which several garbage bags were tied together with tape to form a single bundle, has sparked public outrage after being made public. This goes beyond a simple breach of order and could threaten the safety of sanitation workers during collection, prompting calls for both increased public awareness and effective management of proper waste disposal.

A stack of several garbage bags tied together with tape. Thread capture

Recently, a photo showing the improper disposal of garbage was posted on a social media platform, alongside the message, "If Geoje City collects this, that's remarkable. This just isn't right." The photo depicts multiple garbage bags stacked and tightly bound together with tape to create one large bundle.

After seeing the photo, online commenters criticized the act, saying, "If a sanitation worker tries to lift that, he's going to throw out his back," "Are they doing this to save just a few hundred won?" "This is really selfish," and "This should never be collected." One user pointed out, "I saw someone add their own garbage to another person's pay-as-you-throw bag by taping it to the outside," raising the possibility that someone may have attached their trash to a bag that had already been put out for collection.

From 'taped bundles' to 'food waste mixing'... Out-of-control selfish waste disposal

The comments also included firsthand accounts from people who witnessed similar cases. One individual shared, "I saw this today. The bag is crammed with food waste," along with a photo showing fruit, fruit peels, vegetables, and other food waste mixed inside a standard pay-as-you-throw bag.

Comments on the post. Thread capture

The methods for disposing of household waste are regulated by each local municipality according to the Waste Management Act. In areas where food waste separation is enforced, garbage that mixes food waste into general pay-as-you-throw bags may not be collected. If pay-as-you-throw bags are not used, or if recyclables and other items are disposed of against regulations, violators may face fines of up to 1 million won.

Sanitation workers collecting 'selfish garbage' are in grave danger

Tying multiple bags together with tape significantly increases the weight, directly jeopardizing the safety of waste collectors. Under current rules, pay-as-you-throw bags must not exceed capacity-specific weight limits: 13 kilograms for 50-liter bags and 19 kilograms for 75-liter bags. If overload is suspected on site, sanitation workers use a portable scale to check, and if the bag exceeds the limit, they attach a sticker refusing collection as a management measure.

Although collection tasks are typically handled by a three-person team, in narrow alleys where waste trucks cannot enter, a single worker may have to carry trash alone. Thus, overloaded bags are more than just 'slightly heavy'--they become a direct hazard to workers' health and safety.

Moreover, there may be broken glass or sharp objects mixed inside pay-as-you-throw bags. Lifting heavy bags often requires workers to brace them on their knees or thighs, increasing the risk of cuts or injuries from the contents, while repeatedly hoisting heavy loads can cause strain on their backs and joints.

While the work burden is said to have lessened somewhat since production of 100-liter pay-as-you-throw bags was discontinued in line with ordinance revisions, overloading remains a problem with larger bags—such as the 50-liter and 75-liter sizes.

"It's hard to find out who did it"... Limits to enforcement

A more pressing issue is the difficulty of identifying those who violate disposal regulations. Pay-as-you-throw bags often lack information that can pinpoint the individual responsible, creating limits on holding anyone personally accountable even when improper disposal is detected on site.

Ultimately, correct garbage disposal is a problem that cannot be solved through government enforcement alone. Since both the weight of a single bag and the method of disposal can directly affect the safety of sanitation workers, there are growing calls for citizens to change their attitudes and refrain from tying multiple bags together or exceeding allowed limits for convenience.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.