Why are Koreans disposed toward trash bag panic buying amid the Middle East conflict?

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Why are Koreans disposed toward trash bag panic buying amid the Middle East conflict?

Published: 02 Apr. 2026, 19:32 Updated: 02 Apr. 2026, 21:16

SEO JI-EUN
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CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A customer carries groceries in garbage bags, which are offered for bagging to be repurposed for trash disposal later, at a discount store in downtown Seoul on March 30. [NEWS1]

[EXPLAINER]

While much of the world reacts to the ongoing conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran by stockpiling bottled water or canned goods, Koreans have turned their attention to a more domestic essential: plastic garbage bags.

"I visited four different convenience stores this week and kept coming up empty. I finally managed to find one at the fifth location," said Lee Sang-hwa, living in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. "With a baby at home, we go through a 20-liter bag every two to three days just for diapers. [As I couldn't find my usual size,] I secured a 50-liter bag."

Lee is far from alone.

Hyper-local community platforms like Karrot were flooded with posts from anxious residents sharing inventory sightings at specific retail outlets or offering to share their remaining stash with neighbors in need.

Since the onset of the U.S.-Israeli air strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, the protracted war in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through global energy markets. For Korea, the instability has led to a supply crunch of naphtha — a key feedstock for petrochemical products — with the ripples now reaching the very bottom of the household waste bin.

Citizens wait in a long line in front of a pharmacy in Daejeon on March 12, 2020, to purchase face masks under the government’s "five-day rotation" rationing system. The measure was implemented to address the severe supply shortage during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. [KIM SEONG-TAE]

Public anxiety reached a tipping point following recent news reports that raw material inventories for garbage bags had dwindled to just a one-month supply. The revelation triggered a sense of déjà vu, drawing comparisons to the 2020 Covid-19 mask shortage, which saw citizens braving long lines at pharmacies for rationed supplies.

Adding to the tension was a moment of policy whiplash on Wednesday.

Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan initially suggested the government might implement "mask-like" rationing to curb hoarding. However, the Blue House overruled the proposal later in the day, saying that direct regulation is not under consideration.

Lights are turned off at a processing workstation inside a plastic bag manufacturing factory in Ansan, Gyeonggi, on March 24. Production has been temporarily scaled back due to a shortage of raw materials like polyethylene. Korean petrochemical firms have cut production following disruptions in naphtha imports caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. [YONHAP]

Why does the war in the Middle East impact production of garbage bags?

The current trash bag panic in Korea boils down to a fundamental and fragile link in the global supply chain: the petrochemical industry.

The core material for Korea's standard garbage bags is polyethylene (PE), a versatile plastic derived from naphtha. Crude oil is refined to produce naphtha at temperatures between 75 and 150 degrees Celsius (167 and 302 Fahrenheit). This naphtha is then cracked to produce ethylene, which finally undergoes polymerization to become the PE film we recognize as a trash bag.

Because naphtha is a refined product of crude oil, any instability in the Middle East — the world's primary oil tap — vibrates directly through the supply chain.

As international oil prices soar due to the ongoing conflict, the cost of these raw materials has followed suit.

According to the Korea Federation of Plastics Industry Cooperatives, the supply price of PE jumped by approximately 200,000 won ($138) per ton in March alone. The outlook for April is even grimmer, with manufacturers having already received notices of impending hikes ranging from 400,000 to 800,000 won per ton.

A notice at a convenience store in Yongsan District, central Seoul, informs customers on April 2 that purchases of pay-as-you-throw garbage bags are limited to one bundle per person. The store owner, who has been flooded with inquiries, also posted an official guidance letter from the Yongsan District Office to explain the localized shortage. [SEO JI-EUN]

Is there really a trash bag shortage problem?

When the Korea JoongAng Daily surveyed several convenience stores and retail outlets across western and central Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday, the experience varied wildly by neighborhood.

In Yeongdeungpo District, household-sized bags were still largely available. Moving toward the center of the city in Yongsan District, however, the most common 10-liter and 20-liter bags were almost entirely sold out across multiple locations.

"Some people seem to wait for the exact moment I step out and only the part-time worker is behind the counter to sweep up the bags in a single go," said one convenience store owner in Yongsan, surnamed Seo.

Seo recounted instances where customers accused her of hiding stock for herself, even threatening to report her to the district office.

To protect herself, Seo has posted an official notice from the Yongsan District Office next to the cash register and implemented a self-imposed limit of one bundle, or 10 bags, per customer.

A price list for both bundles and individual garbage bags is displayed above the cashier at a convenience store in Yongsan District on April 2. Some retailers have resorted to breaking down 10-bag bundles to sell them individually to ensure a wider distribution among local residents. [SEO JI-EUN]

In a nearby store, the management has resorted to selling bags individually to ensure that at least a few are available for as many people in the neighborhood as possible.

Increases in garbage bag sales [YUN YOUNG]

The data backs the chaos: between March 21 and Friday, Seoul recorded an average daily sale of 2.7 million bags — a fivefold increase compared to the three-year daily average of 550,000.

Major retailers like Emart and convenience chains like CU reported that sales in the past week surged by as much as 266.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

“Because our own stock is limited, we have been forced to ration deliveries to minimum quantities once or twice a week,” said a spokesperson for a supply agency in Seocho District in southern Seoul.

"Garbage bags are different from regular products because the headquarters does not purchase them in bulk to distribute to franchisees," explained a CU spokesperson.

"Individual store owners must go directly to local authorities to purchase and pay for them, thus the headquarters cannot track real-time inventory or supply status across all branches."

The spokesperson added that while the overall supply from the city appears stable, the localized sell-outs are a direct result of stores managing their own limited stock in the face of unprecedented hoarding.

Workers sort recyclable waste at a recycling center in Dobong District, northern Seoul, on Jan. 26. [NEWS1]

Why can't households just throw away trash in any bag?

To outsiders, Korea’s strict garbage disposal rules can seem daunting.

Korea is a small, mountainous country with one of the highest population densities in the world. Without a standardized system, trash mountains would quickly become a public health crisis.

Every household must use specific, government-issued pay-as-you-throw bags, which vary in color and design by district. This system, officially known as the Volume-based Waste Fee (VBWF) system, was introduced in 1995.

Residents pay a pre-paid disposal fee by purchasing the bags, meaning more trash means buying more.

A warning notice is posted at a residential recycling station in an apartment complex in Yongsan District on April 2. The sign warns that those who dispose of waste without using the mandatory pay-as-you-throw bags will be identified through CCTV surveillance. [SEO JI-EUN]

Using a non-designated bag is a violation of the Waste Management Act, where fines can reach up to 1 million won. Even for minor first-time offenses, such as failing to separate a few recyclables into the correct bin or using the wrong district's bag, fines typically start at 100,000 won.

With strong community vigilance, even "garbage paparazzis," or citizens who report illegal dumping with evidence, can receive 10 to 20 percent of the fine as a reward. District officials even have the right to tear the bag to find delivery receipts or mail that identifies the offender.

Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan speaks during a parlimentary committee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 2. [YONHAP]

A crisis of psychology or supply?

Despite the manufacturer-level anxiety, the government and experts insist the system is not collapsing.

The current shortage is widely viewed as a crisis of distribution and psychology rather than a lack of physical stock.

A Blue House official told reporters Wednesday that some "28,000 tons of Russian naphtha are currently being imported," adding, "there are currently no plans for nationwide purchase restrictions."

The Climate Ministry reported that 123 out of 228 municipalities, or 53.9 percent, hold more than six months’ worth of supply.

Seoul has secured 69 million bags, enough to cover the city for the next four months.

Unlike oil or groceries, the price of a garbage bag does not fluctuate daily.

They are regulated by local ordinances, and any price hike would require a time-consuming legislative amendment by local councils.

An employee rings up a bundle of garbage bags at a convenience store in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on March 24. [NEWS1]

What are the central and local governments proposing?

If the supply chain were to suffer a total collapse, the government has floated several plan B options.

Residents could be allowed to use regular bags provided they carry an official disposal sticker purchased from the municipality; or the government could distribute unprinted generic plastic bags to residents to bypass production delays.

Experts urge the public to recognize that the shortage is being exacerbated by the act of panic buying itself.

“People are anxious that garbage will pile up at home if they cannot get these bags,” said Lee Eun-hee, an emeritus professor of consumer science at Inha University.

“At times like this, a sense of civic responsibility is needed,” she said, adding that people should refrain from panic buying to ensure the supply remains available for everyone.

In the meantime, Park Seok-soon, an emeritus professor of environmental science and engineering at Ewha Womans University, suggests this crisis should be a wake-up call for the pay-as-you-throw system itself.

“The raw material can be replaced, but it would take time to develop a new process,” Park said.

“People do not necessarily reduce waste just because they have to pay for the bags,” he said, pointing out that the current panic buying shows the bag itself has become a source of stress rather than just a waste-reduction tool.

BY SEO JI-EUN,CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]