Living in Korea | How to Get Rid of Big Items in Korea

Updated: Sep 6, 2019

Large items like furniture, appliances, and general clutter are easy to recycle and clear out. It’s as simple as moving them out on to the curb, slapping a sticker on them and having someone come pick them up the next day. Korea is perhaps one of the most efficient and organized countries when it comes to recycling and waste disposal.

Before you move your old refrigerator out into the street or waste recycling area in your building it’s important to get that disposal sticker to avoid getting a fine. Typically, you can get these stickers by going online to a government website and placing a reservation for pick-up. There is a small cost that can range anywhere between 2,000 krw to 10,000 krw depending on the size of your items. Some electronic waste items are free to recycle if they are still in good condition.

Here’s a list of electronics you can get rid of for free: air purifiers, water purifiers, ovens/gas rangers(less than 1m high), radio cassette players, irons, fans, driers, vacuums, VCR/DVD, telephones/cellphones, hair driers, air conditioning outdoor units, electric mattresses, electric heaters, microwaves, rice cookers, insulated rice containers, green-juice mixers/blenders, toasters, gas stoves, desktop PCs, monitors, game players, keyboards, laptops, scanners, printers, all-in-one computers, modems, fax machines, electronic clocks, audio sets.

If you live in Seoul, you can order your sticker online or you can also visit your local registry (gu) office and speak to them about making the pick-up reservation. It you can’t speak Korean, we recommend asking Wonderful for some help. Wonderful is a bilingual personal assistant service that can place the order for you and also provide further instructions on what to expect and answer any other questions you might have. They are dedicated to helping foreigners in Korea and can help you save time. All you have to do is send a message with a photo of your items to get started. Check out www.gowonderfully.com. If interested in our service, you can reach us on Facebook, Kakao Talk or Email.