Recycle Correctly in Korea. Every Time.
Point your camera at any item. Get instant, district-specific disposal instructions in English. Built for foreigners who refuse to guess.
Instant Results
AI-powered recognition
Smart Tips
District-specific rules
From Confused to Confident
Three seconds. That's all it takes to know exactly what to do with any item.
Point Your Camera
Open the app and snap a photo of any item. Works with any angle or lighting.
Get Your Answer
Our AI identifies the item and pulls the exact rules for your neighborhood.
Dispose with Confidence
Follow clear, step-by-step instructions in English. Done.
Built for Real Life
Every feature exists because we needed it ourselves.
AI Recognition
Trained on 100,000+ images of items found in Korean households. Handles damaged packaging, partial labels, and unusual angles.
English + Korean
Full bilingual support. Switch languages anytime. Instructions written by actual humans, not machine translation.
Location Detection
Gangnam rules differ from Mapo rules. We detect your district automatically and show the right guidelines.
Scan History
Already scanned that item before? Pull it up instantly from your history.
Automatic District Detection
Korea has 250+ local governments, each with their own recycling rules. Our app detects your exact location and adjusts every instruction accordingly.
- All 25 Seoul districts covered
- Busan, Incheon, Daegu expanding
- Rules updated weekly
Detected: Mapo-gu
Trusted by Expats Across Korea
Real feedback from real users who stopped guessing.
Wish I had this on day one — Spent my first month in Korea terrified of the recycling bins. Now I just scan and go. Actually feel like I know what I'm doing.
Sarah M.
@sarahm_seoul
No more neighbor notes — Used to get passive-aggressive notes on my trash weekly. Haven't had one since I started using Bin Buddy. Worth it for that alone.
Jake Chen
@jakechen
Saved me ₩200,000 — Almost threw electronics in general waste. Scanned it first, turns out there's a whole separate process. App paid for itself immediately.
Emma K.
@emmak_kr
Finally understand the bag system — Different colored bags for different districts? I was buying the wrong ones for months. One scan and Bin Buddy told me exactly which bags to get at my local convenience store.
Tom W.
@tomw_busan
Way better than Google Translate — I used to photograph Korean recycling labels and translate them. Half the time it made no sense. Bin Buddy just tells me what to do in plain English. So much faster.
Yuki T.
@yuki_seoul
My building manager thanked me — After three months of using Bin Buddy, my building manager actually complimented my recycling. Coming from someone who used to get warnings, that felt amazing.
Maria L.
@maria_itaewon
5,000+
Happy Users
4.9
App Store
100K+
Items Scanned
Common Questions
Everything you need to know before downloading.
Yes. Scanning items and getting disposal instructions costs nothing. We offer an optional Pro upgrade for power users who want unlimited history, offline mode, and priority support—but the core app is free forever.
We currently have district-specific rules for all 25 Seoul districts. Other major cities use our general Korea guidelines, which are accurate about 90% of the time. We're actively adding Busan, Incheon, and Daegu next.
Our AI has been trained on 100,000+ images of products commonly found in Korean households and performs well on standard items like food packaging, bottles, and electronics. For unusual items, you can search our database of 10,000+ items or ask the community.
English and Korean, with more coming. All instructions are written by native speakers—no awkward machine translations. You can switch languages anytime in the app.
Absolutely. We have restaurant owners, cafe operators, and office managers using Bin Buddy daily. The Pro plan includes features designed for commercial waste management. Contact us for team pricing if you need multiple accounts.
Bin Buddy is completely free for personal use. You can scan unlimited items and get disposal instructions at no cost. The optional Pro subscription adds features like scan history, offline mode, and priority support for power users.
Fines for improper disposal in Korea range from ₩100,000 to ₩1,000,000. Your building management or neighbors may also leave notices on improperly sorted trash. Bin Buddy helps you avoid this by telling you exactly which bag and bin to use.
Currently, scanning items requires an internet connection since the AI processes images in the cloud. Offline mode is coming soon, which will let you download your district's rules and use the app without internet for common items.
No. Bin Buddy is designed with privacy first. Photos are processed for item identification and deleted immediately. No accounts are required, no personal data is collected, and all scan history is stored locally on your device.
Korea has one of the strictest and most detailed recycling systems in the world. Waste must be sorted into specific categories (general waste, recyclables, food waste, large items) using designated color-coded bags that vary by district. Each of Korea's 250+ local governments has slightly different rules.
Yes, that's exactly what Bin Buddy was built for. All instructions are provided in English. You don't need to read Korean labels or understand Korean recycling symbols—just point your camera at the item and the app tells you what to do.
We're working on offline mode, collection day reminders, a searchable recycling encyclopedia with 10,000+ items, community Q&A features, and expanded city coverage beyond Seoul. We ship updates every two weeks.
Stop Guessing. Start Knowing.
Join 5,000+ expats who've figured out Korean recycling.
Download free. Scan your first item in under 30 seconds.