You finish a coffee on a Seoul sidewalk and look around for a bin. Often there isn’t one in sight. Residents feel it too: in a 2021 survey by the city government, more than 70% of respondents said Seoul didn’t have enough street trash cans they could easily reach.[2]
Below, we explain why the bins went away, what the city has been doing about it since 2023, and where you can put your trash today. We read the city’s press releases, its open data page and a November 2025 report to the city council on October 7, 2026 (how we research).
Why the bins disappeared
The short version: Korea started charging households for trash by the bag.
In 1995, a pay-as-you-throw system took effect nationwide.[2] Household waste has to go into standard bags bought from designated shops, such as convenience stores, grocery stores and laundromats, and the price of the bag covers the cost of collecting and treating what’s inside.[1]
Once people had to pay for each bag, a free bin on the street became a place to get rid of household trash without paying. The Korea Herald, reporting the city’s plans in 2023, described public trash cans disappearing en masse from Seoul’s streets after the system started.[2] Seoul Shinmun, reporting in 2025, gave the numbers: 7,607 street bins in 1995, falling to 3,707 by 2007 amid problems with illegal dumping.[5]
What this means for you: the empty sidewalks aren’t a sign that littering is tolerated. They’re a side effect of a system that makes residents pay for their own trash.
Are the bins coming back?
Yes, slowly. In October 2023 the city said it would add more than 2,500 street bins by 2025, starting with busy places such as Gwanghwamun and Yeouido and around bus stops.[2] The counts the city has published since then are snapshots from different dates, so here they are with the date each one refers to:
| As of | Street bins | What the number covers |
|---|---|---|
| September 2021 | About 5,000 | Bins across the city, from a city press release[3] |
| End of 2023 | 5,380 (about 5,400) | Bins managed by the 25 district offices, from the city’s open data[4] |
| End of 2025 | 7,085 | The city’s target, stated by an official in November 2025, not a verified count[5] |
We haven’t added the city’s newest file, listed for November 2025, so treat the counts above as dated snapshots. Its open data page says the figures leave out bins not managed by the district offices, such as those in the Hangang (Han River) parks, and notes that the exact number of installed bins is hard to state precisely.[4]
Why the new bins are where they are
The city isn’t putting bins back on every corner, and the reason goes back to 1995. Seoul Shinmun reported that new bins were not placed on ordinary residential streets, where they could fill up with household waste, or where they would get in the way of people walking.[5] In its November 2025 report to the city council, the city listed its order of priority for new bins: bus stops first, then tourist sites, then roadsides.[6]
Bus stops come first for a practical reason. Since 2018, you can’t board a Seoul city bus carrying a disposable cup, so people finish or drop their drinks at the stop.[5] The Korea Herald reported the same problem in 2023: trash tended to overflow around bus stops because of the restriction on bringing drinks onto buses.[2]
Upkeep matters too. The same report lists two staffing changes for 2025: the city’s cleanup squad grew from 67 to 80 people, and the number of staff dedicated to street bins went from 15 to 7.[6]
So where do you throw it away?
Look where the city has been putting bins. If none of these is close, carry your trash with you.
| Place | What to expect | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Busy bus stops | First in line for new street bins | [5][6] |
| Subway station exits | Bins were added where people often dumped trash | [5] |
| Inside subway stations | Seoul Metro has described bins on its platforms and in waiting areas, and at some stations a separate bin for leftover drinks (as of 2019) | [7] |
| Tourist areas | District offices collect from bins there again at night | [5] |
Each district office looks after the bins in its area. Seoul Shinmun reported that district offices, besides emptying them, wash the outside once a day.[5] The number varies a lot by district: Gangnam-gu was the only one of the 25 running more than 1,000 bins.[5]
If you bought something at a convenience store, ask the staff before you leave its wrapping in their bin. What you can do at a convenience store is in our guide to Korean convenience stores. Riding the subway anyway? Our Seoul transit card guide covers paying for it.
Sorting rules for household waste are a topic of their own. At a street bin, follow the labels on each slot.
Good to know
Before you head out for the day:
- Carry a small bag for wrappers and empty bottles. New bins go to busy spots, not ordinary residential streets.[5]
- Finish your drink or throw the cup away before you board a city bus. You can’t board with a disposable cup.[5]
- Look for bins at bus stops, subway exits and inside subway stations.[5][7]
- Don’t leave bags of trash next to a full bin. The bins were limited in the first place because of household dumping.[5]
The bin counts above were checked on October 7, 2026. The city adds bins every year, so treat them as dated snapshots.
Wondering about other everyday rules? Read why jaywalking fines are strict even on empty roads, or browse more in Seoul, every day.