Korean trash separation is so complicated. How do I use volume-rate bags and dispose of food waste?

Korean waste sorting is confusing at first but becomes routine. General trash must go in a volume-rate bag (jongnyangje bongtu), which you buy at convenience stores or supermarkets, and the bags are district-specific, so you must use the bag for the gu (district) where you live, since other districts' bags will not be collected. Food waste goes separately, either in a dedicated food-waste bag or a food-waste bin, which in apartments is often an RFID machine you open with a card, and non-food items like bones, shells, and onion skins actually count as general trash, not food waste. Recycling is separated by type into paper, plastic, glass, cans, and vinyl, ideally emptied and rinsed with labels removed, and apartments usually have set collection days while villas and houses put recycling out on designated evenings. Large items like beds or furniture cannot just be thrown out; you report them on the district office or community center website or app, buy a fee sticker, and attach it before putting the item out. There can be a fine for sorting wrong or not using the volume-rate bag, so the fastest way to learn your specific schedule and rules is to ask your building's management office or a neighbor when you move in.