Sort It Out: Korean Recycling

Sort It Out

Tap the right bin for each item!
How well do you know Korean recycling?

The idea behind the game

Korea sorts household waste in detail, and recyclables go out by type. If you live in or visit Korea, you may have stood at the recycling area wondering where something goes. A receipt looks like paper, a toothbrush looks like plastic, and a broken cup looks like glass. Yet all three are general waste that cannot be recycled.

Sort It Out turns those moments into a quick quiz. When you get one wrong, it tells you why, so after a few rounds you will know how recycling works in Korea.

The answers follow the Ministry of Environment sorting guide and the Seoul city guide. Rules can differ a little between cities and districts, so check your local guide when you put out real waste.

How to play

1
Look · An item appears on the card with its name in large type. Treat every item as emptied and rinsed.
2
Pick a bin · Tap the right one of six bins. Plastic Vinyl/Film Paper Cans & Metal Glass bottles General waste
3
Beat the bar · Choose before the bar under the card runs out. It gets faster as you score.
4
Watch out · After 6 items, TRICKY items appear. From 14, EXPERT items join in.
5
Learn why · A wrong answer shows the right bin and the reason. You can continue once per run.

Each item you sort is 1 point.
Answer fast while the bar is still long for a PERFECT. Do it in a row for a combo.
On a computer, keys 1-6 work too (top row 1, 2, 3, bottom row 4, 5, 6).

This is a test build, so you can continue without an ad for now.

Today's sorting

My record

How to play

When an item appears, tap the right one of the six bins. On a computer, keys 1-6 work too.
Treat every item as emptied and rinsed.
A wrong bin or an empty time bar ends the run.
The more you sort, the less time you get, and tricky items start to appear.
You can continue once per run.

How recycling works in Korea

Plastic · Bottles and containers such as shampoo bottles. Clear PET bottles: remove the label, crush and cap, and use the clear-PET bin where there is one.
Vinyl/Film · Snack and noodle wrappers, plastic bags, bubble wrap, onion mesh bags.
Paper · Newspapers, books and boxes, with tape and labels removed.
Cans & Metal · Drink cans, food tins, butane and spray cans with all the gas released, metal tools.
Glass bottles · Bottles and jars only. No broken glass, mirrors, ceramics or heat-resistant glass.
General waste · Anything not recyclable. Most of it goes in the paid volume-based bag (jongnyangje bag). Large amounts of broken glass, ceramics, mirrors and heat-resistant glass may need a special non-burnable sack, depending on the area.

Sources

The answers are based on the sources below (in Korean). Rules can differ a little by area. Check your city or district guide when you put out real waste.