Seoul’s waste management system changed overnight on Jan. 1. Trucks that once lined up to dump mixed household waste at the Sudokwon Landfill Site in Incheon, west of the capital, have largely disappeared. Only ash and residue from incineration can now be buried there, forcing Seoul and other local governments in the capital region to burn or recycle their trash before anything is landfilled. According to the government-run Sudokwon Landfill Management Corp., just 66 tons of household waste entered the Incheon facility on the second day of the capital area's direct landfill ban. That is only about 3 percent of the 2,045‑ton daily average for directly landfilled household waste recorded there last year. Under the new policy, local governments in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province are no longer allowed to bury household garbage in standard pay‑as‑you‑throw bags at the Sudokwan facility. Only waste that has been processed first, such as incineration ash or nonrecyclable residues left after sorting, can now be buried there. The rule is the first stage of a nationwide shift, with