Despite being a massive city filled with residents and tourists, Seoul somehow manages to keep its streets pretty clean. Most mornings you will see street corners piled with trash waiting to be collected.
When I first got to Seoul, I noticed how much Koreans care about disposing of things properly. My goshiwon, for example, has five different bins that each serve their own purpose.
Obviously, any city needs certain minimum infastructure in place to keep its streets clean. With 9.9 million people living in this city, there needs to be a way to stay on top of trash management.
They have programs in place that incentivize people to help clean up. Walking around Seoul, you will notice the lack of public trash cans. They are sparsely placed around the city, and most of the efforts done to clean up the streets are done by Seoul's own inhabitants. You will see a lot of older people collecting bottles, cans and cardboard to turn in for money. There are also very strict rules on the dstribution of trash and recycling. People are required to sort things properly or they will be given fines.
