You step into a stall in a public restroom in Seoul, look for the bin you’d expect next to the toilet, and there isn’t one. If you’re used to putting paper in a bin, at home or on other trips, that can leave you unsure what to do. This guide explains the Korean rule behind the missing bin, why some stalls still have one, and whether to flush your toilet paper.
We checked the government’s announcement, the current text of the rule and the 2018 proposal for its exceptions on October 29, 2026 (how we research).
In Korean public restrooms, the paper goes in the toilet
In December 2017, Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that the bins next to toilets in public restrooms would go from the following year, and that used toilet paper could go in the toilet.[1] The change took effect on January 1, 2018.[1][3]
The rule sits in the enforcement decree of Korea’s law on public restrooms. In our translation, it says that there should be no trash bin inside a toilet stall, with two exceptions we cover below.[2] It’s one of the decree’s standards for managing public restrooms,[2] so in our reading it covers the public restrooms that law applies to, not every toilet in the country.
The ministry drew that line too. When it announced the change, a senior official said he hoped bin-free toilets would spread from public restrooms to private ones as well.[1]
Why the government took the bins out
The ministry gave its reasons in the same announcement. In our translation, it said the bins next to public toilets had been unsightly and had brought bad smells and pests.[1]
It also asked for something from the people using the restrooms. The official said that for bin-free toilets to take hold quickly, it mattered that everyone understood the change and made it a habit.[1]
Why some stalls still have a bin
Not every stall has to be bin-free. The current decree lets a stall keep a bin in two cases: when it has a toilet that people with disabilities, older people, pregnant women and others can use, and when it has a baby changing table.[2]
These exceptions came after the main rule. When the ministry proposed them in April 2018, it explained that such stalls can produce waste that doesn’t dissolve in water, such as diapers, and that shouldn’t go down the toilet.[4]
Women’s stalls have their own item. The decree says a women’s stall must have a container for sanitary products, unless its users don’t need one, for example where only children use it.[2] The 2017 announcement also said women’s restrooms would have these containers.[1]
Good to know
In a Korean public restroom:
| What you have | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Used toilet paper | In the toilet[1] |
| Sanitary products | In the container in a women’s stall[2] |
| Diapers | Not in the toilet;[4] use the bin if the stall has one, as stalls with a baby changing table may[2] |
- If a sign in the restroom asks you not to put paper in the toilet, follow the sign. The rule covers public restrooms,[2] and in our reading homes, guesthouses and other private buildings may be set up differently.
- Looking for a bin outside? Why Seoul’s streets have so few is in our trash can guide.
Why rolls of tissue turn up on restaurant tables is in our guide to toilet paper on Korean restaurant tables, and what you can do at the counter of a Korean convenience store is in our convenience store guide. More is in Seoul, every day. To see how we’re paid, read how we’re funded.
