The Chuseok holiday is over the middle.
On holidays, gift wraps and food waste in various delivery packages increase significantly more than usual, so they accumulate all over the house.
In particular, this year, the number of disposable items such as masks has increased significantly in packaging waste from parcels due to the corona crisis.
The Ministry of Environment said that household waste increased by more than 11% in the first half of this year, and food waste at home also increased by more than 20% during holidays.
In [Pick Q&A], we will look at how to dispose of holiday garbage, such as garbage that can be easily disposed of by putting it in a pay-as-you-go bag and garbage that must be separated.
Q. Should I dispose of garbage from courier or gift delivery, recycled or pay-as-you-go bags?
A. There are quite a few garbages that pretend to be recycled items in packaging and containers.
First of all, fruit nets, fruit packaging materials, thermal insulation packs, and gel-type ice packs containing superabsorbent resins that come with frozen/refrigerated fresh foods are difficult to recycle, so you can simply throw them away in a pay-as-you-go bag.
If the ice pack is made of water, water can be discharged to the sewer and the outer case can be discharged as paper or plastic.
The fabric wrapping material made of fabric or the twine that surrounds the outer surface of the box is difficult to distinguish due to various materials, so it is difficult to recycle, so you can just throw it away in a pay-as-you-go bag.
Paper boxes, such as courier boxes and fruit packaging boxes, can be separated and disposed of as recycled paper after removing the tape and shipping stickers from the outside.
The styrofoam box containing fresh foods and the styrofoam packing material in which the fruit is separately packaged are also discharged as recycled products.
Q. I think it's recyclable, but what other wastes can't be recycled?
Usually, glass bottles such as beer, soju, and wine bottles are classified as recyclables, but ordinary glass other than glass bottles cannot be recycled even if they are not broken, so they must be disposed of as general waste.
Broken bottles, flat glass, glass for lighting fixtures, ceramics, and porcelain are difficult to recycle, so they must be wrapped in newspaper and discarded in a pay-as-you-go bag or dispose of as non-combustible waste.
CDs, DVDs, rubber gloves, slippers, stationery such as ballpoint pens and sharpeners, toothbrushes, etc. are mixed with various materials and are difficult to recycle, so they must be disposed of in pay-as-you-go bags.
Diapers, used toilet paper, and tissues must also be placed in a pay-as-you-go bag.
Q. Isn't it okay to throw away all vinyl waste by recycling?
A. If the contents are emptied and rinsed with water to remove foreign substances, it is easy to recycle and can be separated and discharged.
The mesh-type onion nets containing onions and vegetables can also be separated and discharged into plastics.
However, if there is food on it or there is a sticker on it, it cannot be recycled, so you have to throw it away in a pay-as-you-go bag.
Plastics such as tablecloths, silver foil plastics, and duvet covers are not recyclable and must be disposed of in pay-as-you-go bags.
Q. Can plastic products such as cooking oil and soy sauce containers be disposed of for recycling?
A. Containers that do not remove foreign substances even after washing food are difficult to recycle due to separate discharge.
Rinse as much as possible and separate and dispose to help recycling.
Mayonnaise, ketchup cans, and oil cans that have not been removed from food can be recycled if properly washed and dried, but unwashed cup rice and cup ramen containers are mixed with other materials, making it difficult to recycle. It is mixed with other materials and is difficult to recycle, so you can put it in a pay-as-you-go bag and dispose of it.
If you download the'Separate Discharge in My Hand' smartphone application distributed by the Ministry of Environment, etc., the method of separate discharge by item is explained in detail.
Q. Can I throw away food waste as I did?
A. Even during the holidays, leftover food can be disposed of in a food waste collection box or a dedicated pay-as-you-go bag as usual.
However, hard fruit seeds, shellfish, crabs, fish bones, etc., and roots and skins of vegetables must be disposed of in the general garbage bag.
If the remaining cooking oil is discharged to sewage, it may cause water pollution. Therefore, it is recommended to discharge it to a collection box dedicated to cooking oil or contact the nearest town office or community center to find out where it is discharged.
The Ministry of Environment shares how to cook using leftover Chuseok food to improve the holiday food culture through a YouTube video featuring Chef Lee Yeon-bok, and is holding events such as'Posting a Comment to Remove Leftover Food' and'Empty Bowl Certification Relay'.
Q. It's not holiday trash, but how is it good to throw away the mask that accumulates every day?
A. Masks are never recycled.
The Ministry of Environment recommends that masks are not classified as recyclable garbage, but are classified as general garbage and placed in a pay-as-you-go bag through the'Guidelines for Separated Disposal of Recyclables'.
If you put the used mask in a pay-as-you-go bag, it is immediately incinerated without risk of infection.
It is said that up to 60 million mask wastes are produced a month after the corona crisis.
Discarded masks are said to be life-threatening by binding wild animals' feet in mountains or fields.
Environmental organizations are also campaigning to cut and discard the mask earrings part with scissors.
This is'News Pick'.