Baseball stadium trash up nearly 55% in two years as attendance climbs
Waste at Korea’s KBO baseball stadiums climbed 24.3 percent in 2025, nearly double the rate of attendance growth, driving up cleaning and disposal costs.
Protesters hold banners calling for action on waste at baseball stadiums outside the KBO headquarters in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 15.YONHAP
Baseball fans are packing stadiums in record numbers, but they left behind more than cheers. Trash generated at stadiums last year rose at nearly twice the rate of attendance growth.
A total of 2,931.7 metric tons (3,232 short tons) of general waste was generated at nine professional baseball stadiums nationwide in 2025, up 24.3 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment obtained by Democratic Party Rep. Jin Sun-mee on Friday.
Compared with 1,895.9 metric tons generated in 2023, waste increased 54.6 percent over two years.
Regular-season attendance rose 13.1 percent from 10.9 million in 2024 to 12.3 million last year, meaning waste generation increased at nearly twice the rate of attendance.
The increase was particularly pronounced at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, shared by the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears. The stadium generated 498 metric tons of waste last year, up 132.2 percent from 214 metric tons in 2023.
Combined regular-season home attendance for the two teams increased 36.9 percent over the same period. Based on a simple calculation dividing total waste by attendance, waste generated per spectator reached 167.5 grams (5.9 ounces) last year, up 69.7 percent from 98.7 grams in 2023.
General waste at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu also nearly doubled. A total of 433 metric tons of waste was generated in 2025, up 98.6 percent from 218 metric tons in 2023.
Trash overflows from bins at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, in an undated photo.JOONGANG ILBO
At Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, waste increased 61.2 percent from 255 metric tons to 411 metric tons over the same period.
The growing volume of waste also drove up disposal and cleaning costs.
Waste disposal and cleaning costs at eight stadiums totaled 4.51 billion won ($3.2 million) last year, up 28.7 percent from 3.51 billion won in 2023. The figure excludes Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, which submitted its cost data on a confidential basis.
The cumulative costs at the eight stadiums reached 11.87 billion won between 2023 and 2025.
Protesters hit a ball with a bat as they call for action on waste at baseball stadiums outside the KBO headquarters in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on June 15.YONHAP
While more stadiums have introduced reusable containers at its food vendors to reduce waste, questions have emerged over whether the measures are delivering meaningful reductions.
Seven stadiums currently have vendors using reusable container systems, while Daegu Samsung Lions Park and Sajik Baseball Stadium plan to introduce such programs next year.
"The waste problem at baseball stadiums should not be blamed solely on spectators," Jin said. "Baseball clubs and vendors operating inside stadiums must establish systems to reduce the use of disposable products and properly collect reusable containers."
Rep. Jin also called for evaluating reusable container programs based on how much waste they actually reduce, rather than simply counting the number of stadiums that have introduced them.
"The Culture Ministry, Climate Ministry and [the KBO] must establish waste reduction targets and management standards for each stadium," Jin added.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
