While scrolling through the internet, I stumbled upon an interesting photo. On the left, people were tossing all their household waste into a large metal dumpster. On the right, there was no dumpster at all—just an open area where trash was left in piles. The stark contrast made me pause. What kind of waste management system is this? That question stuck with me. It made me reflect on how recycling works in Korea, where I live, on the system in Germany, which genuinely surprised me during my visit to Munich last year, and finally, on the system in the USA, where this photo was taken. How different are these three countries when it comes to recycling? Germany – When Money Drives Recycling When I first traveled to Munich, Germany, I wasn’t thinking about waste management. I was there for football—to see Kim Min-jae play in Germany and Son Heung-min in England. But one day, while staying at a guesthouse, I went to a local supermarket for water and snacks. The moment I checked out, I ...