Kimjang Season Approaches... How Should Bulky "Kimjang Waste" Be Disposed Of?

Only raw vegetables may be placed in regular bags temporarily
Seasoned or salted vegetables must go in food waste bags
Rules vary by district; check before disposal

As kimjang season approaches, more residents are asking how to dispose of vegetable waste such as outer cabbage leaves and radish greens. Making kimjang with dozens of heads of cabbage at a time produces so much waste at once that food waste bags are not large enough to handle it.

Gangseo District Mayor Jin Gyohoon mixes seasoning for kkakdugi at the “Kkakdugi-Making and Sharing Event” held at the Gangseo District Volunteer Center on the 21st. Provided by Gangseo District.

According to Seoul's district offices on October 26, most districts in the city will again allow residents to use regular pay-as-you-throw bags temporarily during a special kimjang waste collection period running from November 1 through December 31 this year. However, the types of waste accepted and the disposal rules vary by district, so residents should check in advance.

Vegetables such as cabbage and radishes are classified as food waste and should, in principle, be disposed of in food waste pay-as-you-throw bags. However, these bags are available in sizes ranging from just 5 to 20 liters, making them too small for bulky kimjang waste. For this reason, some districts allow residents to use regular pay-as-you-throw bags during kimjang season. Kimjang waste placed in regular pay-as-you-throw bags is also taken to food waste processing facilities and recycled into animal feed or compost.

Only raw vegetables that have not been seasoned or salted may be placed in regular pay-as-you-throw bags. Vegetables coated with seasoning or salted must still be placed in food waste pay-as-you-throw bags, put in designated collection containers with payment stickers attached, or disposed of using RFID-based pay-as-you-throw machines in apartment complexes. Wet kimjang waste must also go in food waste bags.

Some items, by contrast, are classified as regular waste rather than food waste. These include onion, garlic and ginger skins; the roots of green onions, scallions and water dropwort; the stems of chili peppers, sweet peppers and bell peppers; and chili pepper seeds, chili pepper stalks and garlic stalks. Because these items are hard or difficult to use as animal feed or compost, they must be disposed of separately in regular pay-as-you-throw bags.

When putting kimjang waste out in regular pay-as-you-throw bags, residents must clearly mark the bags as kimjang waste. In many districts, residents can attach a "Kimjang Waste Disposal Sticker," available free of charge at their local community service center, or download and print one from the district office website. Some districts allow residents to write "Kimjang Waste" directly on the outside of the bag instead. The permitted bag sizes also vary by district, with some allowing bags of 10 liters or more and up to 50 liters, and others requiring bags of at least 20 liters. Some districts require residents to use food waste bags as usual if they have 5 liters or less to dispose of.

Mapo District Mayor Yoo Donggyun (center) holds up a cabbage leaf coated with seasoning at the “Making Kimchi with Foreigners” event on the 16th. Provided by Mapo District.

The most important thing is not to mix kimjang waste with other types of waste. Bags marked as kimjang waste may not be collected if they contain household waste or recyclables, and residents may be fined. Some districts impose a fine of 100,000 won. Food waste mixed with regular waste cannot be recycled into animal feed or fertilizer, and it disrupts processing, increasing disposal costs.

Residents should also check which households are eligible. Special collection programs are generally intended for regular households, including those in detached and multi-family homes. Some districts extend eligibility to small restaurants, while others require all food service establishments to continue using the existing disposal method.

Most programs exclude large-scale waste generators, such as group cafeterias serving at least 100 people a day and businesses with premises of 200 square meters or more. Some districts also require apartment complexes with at least 20 households to continue using the existing disposal method. Others allow complexes that use RFID-based pay-as-you-throw machines to use regular bags if they have a large amount of waste. Collection days and hours also vary: some districts allow disposal from 6 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, others from 6 p.m. to midnight except on Saturdays, and still others require disposal before 8 p.m. on designated days.

Residents can reduce the volume and weight of the waste by draining the vegetables thoroughly, removing soil and other foreign matter, and chopping them into small pieces before bagging them. This also reduces the number of bags needed and helps limit odors and leachate during collection and processing.

Not all districts operate a special collection period. Some require residents to use only food waste bags during kimjang season, while others require the use of designated bags. Once the special collection period ends, kimjang vegetables must again be placed in food waste bags. To be safe, residents should check the exact disposal rules on their district office website or with the department responsible for sanitation and resource circulation.

Kimjang waste disposal sticker. Courtesy of Seodaemun-gu.

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