A signboard in Korean, English, Chinese and Vietnamese beached by Yangsan City Hall under a lamp post prohibits people from throwing out trashes. / Courtesy of Yangsan City Hall



By Lee Han-soo



Yangsan city is battling with illegally littered trash, most of which are being thrown out in areas heavily populated by foreigners.

The number of foreigners in the South Gyeongsang Province city has increased to 6,000. Most are Chinese, followed by Vietnamese and Filipinos.

"Foreign residents in Yangsan are mostly unaware of the nation's recycling system," said a Yangsan city hall official.

"Some are not interested in recycling because disposable standard size plastic bags cost up to 1,000 won (90 cents)."

The official said street cleaners found that amounts illegally trash is thrown in areas with a dense foreign population.



Some Korean residents in the areas were unhappy about the situation, he said.

"Foreigners seem to regard throwing large and small-sized household garbage bags on to the street as normal," a Korean resident told Kyungnam Newspaper, a local newspaper.

"We need to change their perception about the environment through proper education and close monitoring in such areas."

On Mar. 19, the city held an information session for foreigners about Korea's recycling system.

A city official in charge of recycling said the class gave foreigners who were not used to Korea's environmental culture "time to learn about the city's garbage disposal process."

"We expect the information to spread among foreign residents and encourage them to participate in keeping the streets clean," he said.