Not "Volume-Based Waste Bag Paparazzi" Seeking Rewards,
But "Unauthorized Dumping Inspectors" Supervised by the Ministry of Environment
There have been repeated claims online that people received fines for throwing away trash such as tomato stems in designated volume-based waste bags. Some have alleged that a 'paparazzi' crackdown squad seeking rewards has appeared, but this has been confirmed to be untrue.
Recently, a post titled "The recent chaos caused by volume-based waste bag paparazzi" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, claimed, "You get fined 100,000 won for throwing away tomato stems as general waste, 100,000 won for leaving meat on chicken bones, and 100,000 won for throwing away rubber gloves as general waste (these fines are imposed). Is this really a story from our country? They even check delivery invoices to make sure they impose fines," he said.
Mr. A also shared a post from Mr. B, who was fined for throwing away a paper lunchbox without rinsing it. Mr. B said, "Everyone be careful. I got a fine notice because I ate from a paper lunchbox at the office and threw it away without rinsing it," adding, "They say you shouldn't separate contaminated items for recycling and should classify them as general waste, so I just threw it away, but now they say you have to rinse even the waste you throw away with detergent." He continued, "Feeling wronged, I asked the cleaning staff, and they said during the intensive crackdown period, the elderly are conducting inspections to receive rewards and are rechecking." He concluded, "Especially on weekends, many of them will be out and about, so everyone be careful."
Recently, there have been repeated claims online warning people to be cautious of elderly individuals acting as 'volume-based waste bag paparazzi.' It is said that these elderly people actively open discarded volume-based waste bags to detect mixed waste disposal and receive a kind of reward. The claim gained more traction after photos were shared showing some elderly people laying plastic bags on the ground and opening volume-based waste bags.
However, these suspicions about 'paparazzi' rewards have been confirmed to be false. Those conducting the bag-opening inspections are not paparazzi seeking rewards but unauthorized dumping inspectors organized by the Ministry of Environment. They are hired by local governments and receive wages, not rewards. During their employment period, they patrol their jurisdictions to crack down on non-use of volume-based waste bags or mixed waste disposal.
Meanwhile, online discussions have pointed out that confusion arises due to different recycling separation standards across local governments. For example, Gangnam District Office guides residents to separate household rubber gloves as vinyl waste, whereas Songpa District classifies them as items to be disposed of in volume-based waste bags. Detailed recycling separation regulations can be found on each district office’s website under 'Recyclable Items and Separation Guidelines.'
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