If you place a milk carton on top of newspaper and put it out, it will not be recycled.
Paper cartons become waste paper the moment they are mixed with other waste paper. This is because they are disposed of in the same pile despite having different materials. This is the reason why the recycling rate for paper cartons dropped to 13.9 percent in 2024.
PackTtaro identifies whether what you are holding is a paper carton or waste paper.
■ Where to Dispose of This
You can search by item name or by a characteristic you remember.
If you search for "silver," aseptic cartons will appear. Soy milk and juice cartons that have been stacked at room temperature have a silver interior when opened, while milk cartons from the refrigerator compartment have a white interior. Both go into the dedicated paper carton bin, but because their materials are different, their recycling processes are separated.
Paper cups are not waste paper because the inside is coated. Instant noodle containers and coated flyers cannot be recycled at all. We have gathered these confusing items on one screen.
■ Just follow the steps in order.
Empty, rinse, spread out and press flat, and dry.
Drying is the most important step. If you put them out while wet, the entire pile will become unusable. We have numbered the steps for each item.
■ Is My Apartment Subject to Mandatory Recycling?
Separate disposal of paper cartons will become mandatory starting January 1, 2027. It will be voluntary starting October 2026. PackTtaro keeps track of the remaining days.
Mandatory requirements apply to multi-unit housing subject to mandatory management as defined by the Multi-unit Housing Management Act. There are five criteria, and you are subject to this requirement if you meet even one of them.
You should not be complacent just because your complex does not have 300 households. You are subject to this requirement if you have 150 households and only an elevator, or if you have 150 households with central heating. For mixed-use buildings built with commercial spaces, you are subject to this requirement starting from 150 residential units; however, if the residents have agreed to the requirement, you are subject to it regardless of the number of households.
** If you select just the number of households and a few facilities, it will even indicate which category you fall under. This is because it is difficult to trust if only the conclusion is provided.
It does not ask for the address or building/unit number. A determination is made based solely on the number of households and facilities.
■ Collected Counts Accumulate
If you click on an item on the item screen, the number of items collected this week, including how many paper packs, is displayed on the main screen. It counts items on a weekly basis.
Items that are frequently confusing can be saved by pressing the star icon.
■ The App Updates When Standards Change
The effective date and judgment criteria are not stored in the app but are retrieved once a day. If the official notice changes, it is reflected the following day without the need to wait for an update. If there is no network connection, it runs using the values stored within the app.
The judgment criteria are derived from the main text of Article 2, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2 of the Multi-Unit Housing Management Act.
■ This Is Not the App
PackTtaro is not an official service. It only provides guidance based on published standards and does not handle collection or reporting on your behalf.
Items for which guidance varies by local government are marked as such. Unverified information is not presented as verified.
We do not collect accounts, addresses, or phone numbers. The entered values remain only on this device.
■ Official Sources
· https://www.me.go.kr
· https://www.law.go.kr/법령/자원의절약과재활용촉진에관한법률
It distinguishes between paper cartons and waste paper, and checks the disposal order and the number collected.