A worker operates machinery amid a massive buildup of Styrofoam waste at a Yongin recycling center on Friday following the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)
A worker operates machinery amid a massive buildup of Styrofoam waste at a Yongin recycling center on Friday following the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)

At a public recycling center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, workers are struggling to process a mountain of discarded Styrofoam that piled up after South Korea’s longest Chuseok holiday since 2017.

Each year, packaging waste typically doubles during the major family celebration, when seafood and fruit gift sets, often packed in bulky foam boxes, are exchanged and food deliveries surge.

Local media reports indicate that Styrofoam waste generated during holiday periods has increased by over 30 percent in the past five years. Contaminated foam that cannot be recycled must be incinerated, adding to the environmental and operational strain on recycling facilities.


mjh@heraldcorp.com