By Lee Kyung-min



Public sentiment is mixed about a government move to increase the number of street trash bins, Friday.



While supporters say setting up the trash bins is the best way to keep the streets clean, opponents say that the sites near the trash bins will become unmanageable due to piled up garbage.



Seocho District Office, southern Seoul, set up 10 new trash bins in a main street in Gangnam, four years after it removed all of them in 2012, following residents' complaints.



Similarly, Jung District Office has been setting up new garbage bins since February in Myeongdong, central Seoul, to better manage the 20 tons of garbage generated daily in the popular tourist spot.



"We have been managing trash bins on the street following numerous complaints from citizens," an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said.



"We plan to increase the number of trash bins in the city, especially in densely populated area and at bus stops and tourist attractions including Insa-dong and the Gangnam area," he said.



However, complaints are increasing from small shop owners who claim many people discard their garbage in the public trash bins near their shops instead of using plastic bags sold by the SMG.



"We have heard complaints that people put their personal garbage into public trash bins to avoid paying the fees for the garbage they generate," the official said.



"They argue that people should carry their garbage home, as the Japanese people do in Tokyo, where there are no garbage bins on the streets," he said.



Under the SMG-implemented volume-rate garbage disposal system introduced in 1995, citizens must put their garbage in plastic bags sold by SMG, which cost 22 won per liter.



The measure was aimed at reducing waste and increasing the amount of recyclables.



An expert said trash cans should be set up in busy areas to minimize the inconvenience of the citizens, adding that those who discard garbage illegally should face harsh punishment.



"Setting up trash bins will help keep the dirty street corners clean which are now littered with piles of takeout coffee cups and stacks of flyers," an official from the Korea Zero Waste Movement Network said.



"Citizens need to strengthen their sense of civic pride, and be conscientious about the environmental impact their every day behavior causes," she added.



