Winter brings its own rubbish: piles of cabbage leaves after kimjang, used hand warmers, old heaters, wrapping paper and Christmas trees. Here is where each one goes.
Kimjang season (November–December)
Kimjang — 김장, making a winter’s worth of kimchi at once — leaves a lot of vegetable waste. It is made into feed and compost like other food waste, so the usual food waste rules apply:
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Cabbage hearts, radish greens, soft vegetables, salted cabbage, seasoned cabbage | Food waste |
| Cabbage leaves with soil on them, onion and garlic skins, green onion roots, garlic stalks, chili seeds | General waste bag |
| Salted seafood (젓갈) | Soak up the liquid with newspaper or kitchen towel, then general waste bag |
| Big plastic bags from salted cabbage | Empty and clean: plastic film recycling. Food will not wash off: general waste bag |
| Rubber gloves | General waste bag |
Too much for the food waste bin?
During kimjang season many districts let you put drained cabbage leaves and radish greens in an ordinary general waste bag — on their own, not mixed with other rubbish. In Seoul in 2025, 23 of the 25 districts allowed this, most from 1 November to 31 December. Many asked for a bag of 20 litres or more, and several asked you to mark it 김장쓰레기 (kimjang waste). Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu took kimjang waste in food waste bags only.
Districts set these rules each year, and they can change. Look for your district office’s notice, or ask the building manager: 김장 쓰레기는 어디에 버려요? — “Where do I put kimjang waste?”
Seoul’s 25 districts — 2025 kimjang rules
| District | 2025 period | How |
|---|---|---|
| Jongno-gu 종로구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger |
| Jung-gu 중구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 10–50 L, marked as kimjang waste |
| Yongsan-gu 용산구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, marked as kimjang waste |
| Seongdong-gu 성동구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger |
| Gwangjin-gu 광진구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | 20 L general waste bag with kimjang waste only, plus the kimjang waste sticker |
| Dongdaemun-gu 동대문구 | Nov 10 – Dec 31 | 20 L general waste bag only, marked as kimjang waste |
| Jungnang-gu 중랑구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger |
| Seongbuk-gu 성북구 | Nov 9 – Dec 19 | General waste bag, 20 L or smaller |
| Gangbuk-gu 강북구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | 20 L general waste bag |
| Dobong-gu 도봉구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | 20 L general waste bag |
| Nowon-gu 노원구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger |
| Eunpyeong-gu 은평구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger |
| Seodaemun-gu 서대문구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | Food waste bag (under 20 L) or general waste bag (20 L or larger) |
| Mapo-gu 마포구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 10–50 L, marked as kimjang waste |
| Yangcheon-gu 양천구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger, marked as kimjang waste |
| Gangseo-gu 강서구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger |
| Guro-gu 구로구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger (kimjang waste only), or food waste bag under 20 L |
| Geumcheon-gu 금천구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | Food waste bag (1–10 L) or general waste bag (20, 30 or 50 L) |
| Yeongdeungpo-gu 영등포구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 10 L or larger |
| Dongjak-gu 동작구 | Nov 3 – Dec 19 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger |
| Gwanak-gu 관악구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag with the disposal sticker on the outside |
| Seocho-gu 서초구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | Food waste bags only |
| Gangnam-gu 강남구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | Food waste bag (any size) or general waste bag (20 L or larger) |
| Songpa-gu 송파구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | Food waste bag, 20 L or larger |
| Gangdong-gu 강동구 | Nov 1 – Dec 31 | General waste bag, 20 L or larger, kimjang waste only, marked |
From Seoul Metropolitan Government, 24 November 2025. Check your district’s notice for this year.
Keeping warm
- Hand warmers (핫팩): general waste bag.
- Electric heaters and humidifiers: the small appliance collection box, or free pickup when you have five or more small appliances together (1599-0903). Big heaters can be registered as large waste.
- Electric blankets and heated mats: large waste — they are not taken by the free appliance pickup.
- Duvets: large waste in Seoul.
- Coats, padded jackets and scarves: clean and wearable ones go in a clothing collection bin.
Christmas and gifts
- Wrapping paper: plain paper goes with paper; plastic-coated, gold or silver foil wrapping goes in the general waste bag.
- Ribbons and bows: not named in the official guides. They are not paper, so take them off wrapping and boxes. Seoul’s standard puts rope and string in the general waste bag.
- Gift boxes: take out trays and foam, remove tape and plastic windows, flatten — paper.
- Bubble wrap: plastic film recycling.
- Christmas cards: plain paper cards go with paper. Paper mixed with other materials — foil, plastic — goes in the general waste bag.
- Candles: general waste bag.
- Artificial Christmas trees: not named in any official list. Take off the lights and decorations; small trees go in a general waste bag, big ones are registered as large waste.
- Fairy lights: we could not confirm an official rule. Ask your district office before throwing them away.
Gift sets for Seollal and Chuseok
Holiday gift sets come in layers — sort each one: the paper box (paper), clean plastic trays (plastic), clean styrofoam boxes (styrofoam), foam fruit nets and ice packs (general waste bag).
Winter snacks
Mandarin peels are soft peels: food waste. Chestnut and walnut shells are not: general waste bag.
Sources
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — kimjang (kimchi-making) waste: how to sort it, with each district’s 2025 rules (Nov 2025)
- Ministry of Environment — recyclables separation guideline (재활용품 분리배출 가이드라인, Korean PDF)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — unified sorting standard for about 60 confusing items (Aug 2025)
- Seoul Media Hub — Seoul food waste standard: what is NOT food waste (Mar 2022)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government — recycling at home (Nov 2024)
- Seoul Media Hub — free home pickup of old appliances
- Nocut News — how to sort year-end items such as Christmas trees (Jan 2021, news report)
- Herald Economy — what happens to artificial Christmas trees after Christmas (Dec 2025, news report)
Last checked October 21, 2026. Kimjang rules: Seoul Metropolitan Government (November 2025). Other items: the national separation guideline and Seoul’s standards. Details differ by district.