One Saturday at 3 p.m., I'm walking through a quiet alley in Seoul. In my hand is a coffee cup I've finished drinking. I look around for a trash can, but even after walking a long while, I can't see one. A foreign student, too, "There are no trash cans, so why are the streets so clean?" asked. ## Why There Are Few Trash Cans on the Street In Korea, when you throw away trash, you have to buy a 'volume-based waste bag' and use it. You pay according to how much you throw away. As a result, people started secretly putting their household trash into street bins. The bins filled up quickly, and they smelled, too. So they say many neighborhoods have reduced the number of street trash cans. ## So why is it so clean? It's because people clean up every morning. Shop owners sweep the area in front of their doors and sprinkle water. The people who manage the buildings also wipe down the entrances. There are also cleaning staff in charge of each neighborhood. The idea that "I clean the front of my shop and the front of my home" has been around for a long time. Not littering on the street is also a promise we make to each other. ## What travelers can do right away - Keep a small plastic bag in your bag. You can carry your trash with you and throw it away later. - There are bins in many places, such as subway stations, parks, main streets, and tourist spots. But it differs from neighborhood to neighborhood. - In many places, you can return your café cup inside the shop. Ask the notice board or a staff member first. - You must not put other people's trash in the bin in front of a shop or a house. A street without trash cans may look inconvenient, but it's a street that the neighbors clean together.