Recycling @ AKS

Recycle….of course we do it!

In our modern, green, eco-friendly, low impact society EVERYONE recycles and it’s about time to walk the walk and here I mean at the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS).

AKS is renovating and that means a lot of stuff will be trashed. We are already witnessing hundreds of (old/used) chairs, desks, bookshelves, computers, and stuff that would otherwise be sitting comfortably and being enjoyed at someone’s house. This mountain of furniture can be found at the back of the Graduate School of Korean Studies (GSKS) in Bundang.

It would be great if we REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE but at the same time RESPECT the cause (recycling) and it's importance. It is indeed a high time to allow people to come pick up this (old) furniture – that deserves recycling, for sure!

If people can make a good use of it - will indeed be a good news and a [k]novel cause. It is only about taking the initiative and thinking smart!

I hope that people (outsiders: waikukins/or who so ever interested) be allowed during the weekends to get what they want from this FM 101 (FM: furniture mountain / 가구 산).

I have to admit that A LOT of recycling projects are underway on a national, regional, local and individual level. We all have noticed how stores, restaurants and food courts all sort out their garbage such as plastic cups, lids, straws, liquids, paper and tin cans etc. At homes, we seperate food 쓰레기from the rest. Korean universities have also done a great job in this regard and one of them is Kookmin University that has a modest and fun recycling project in association with 'The Beautiful Stores' a famous NGO, that runs small stores filled with recycled things - in Seoul and greater Seoul region in particular (http://www.beautifulstore.org/Eng/). Even at AKS, we have these 'brand new' recycling bins for all the different types of 쓰레기 or trash. Needless to say, they also have a tradition of recycling for long - so hopefully, this stuff be recycled too.

One of the biggest government recycling centers that collects recyclable stuff are luckily located in Seongnam but they will come and pick it only on the condition that furniture should NOT be more than 2 years old, voila!

I'd highly appreciate if we ask our friends or NGOs etc. to come and do some sorting!

Website on recycling in Korea

http://www.woodrecycling.or.kr/

http://www.recycle.or.kr/
http://www.beautifulstore.org/Eng/

http://www.recycle.re.kr/ (this site needs recycling)

NOTE: It is important to note that people who do not belong to AKS (faculty, staff, students) can visit it on weekends only.