As of October 2026, if you live in South Korea and need to get rid of a fridge, washing machine, air conditioner or a TV of 31 inches or larger, you can have it collected from inside your home free of charge through the national e-waste pickup service run by E-cycle Governance. Smaller electronics such as monitors of 30 inches or less, vacuum cleaners or rice cookers also qualify, but only when you hand over five or more at once. Bookings are made on the online reservation system or by calling 1599-0903. Items that have been taken apart, fixtures that are still mounted to the wall, and furniture are refused.
This guide is based on the service's own usage and item guide, its FAQ, the notices on the booking screen, and a municipal example from Yongin City's bulky waste page. All of these pages are in Korean, so the sections below translate the rules that matter when you book. Check the official page again right before booking, because item rules and hours can change.
How the free pickup service works and how to book it
There are two ways to book. You can fill in the web or mobile form at 15990903.or.kr, or you can phone the call center on 1599-0903. The service guide says bookings can be made from anywhere in the country, and local governments point residents to the same service. Yongin, for example, tells residents to use it when they have at least one large appliance or at least five small ones, and notes that a collector visits the home directly.
Keep two different schedules in mind:
- Call center: Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00, with a lunch break from 12:00 to 13:00. It is closed on weekends, public holidays, substitute holidays, New Year's Day, the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, and Labor Day.
- Collection days: Monday to Saturday. There are no collections on Sundays or public holidays, and the available weekdays vary by region.
If you are moving out on a weekend, book on a weekday beforehand. If the booking form will not let you pick a date, that date may not be a collection day for your area or may already be full.
The online form is limited to users aged 14 or older. Required details are your name, mobile phone number and address; a landline number is optional. Because the form is in Korean and includes identity verification, residents without a Korean mobile number in their own name may find the phone line easier.
Which appliances qualify: the one-item and five-item rules
The service classifies items by the sum of width, depth and height or by weight, and tells you to choose whichever puts the item in the higher size class. A compact but heavy item is classified by its weight.
Single items (one is enough)
- Refrigerators, including freezers, display coolers, ice makers and cosmetic fridges
- Washing machines, including drum washers, dryers and spin dryers
- Air conditioners: indoor units, outdoor units and all-in-one units
- Displays: TVs and monitors of 31 inches or larger
- Solar panels (inverters and parts can be added to the same booking)
- Other electronics in the extra-large class (dimensions totalling 250 cm or more, or 80 kg or more), large class (200 to under 250 cm, or 40 to under 80 kg) and medium class (150 to under 200 cm, or 12 to under 40 kg)
Massage chairs count as single items but must be placed outside the building where the truck can reach them.
Bulk items (five or more required)
- Displays of 30 inches or less, navigation units and tablets
- Small-to-medium electronics with dimensions totalling 50 to under 150 cm, or weighing 1 to under 12 kg
Add-on items (only alongside a single or bulk booking)
- Very small devices such as wireless earbuds, e-cigarettes, electric toothbrushes and electric shavers (under 50 cm in total dimensions, or under 1 kg)
In practice, you can add a pair of old earbuds to a fridge pickup, but you cannot book a visit for earbuds alone. If all you have are fans, kettles and a vacuum, gather five before booking.
What gets refused and how to prepare
The service will not collect:
- Items that are no longer intact, such as appliances that have been disassembled
- Interior fittings such as light fixtures and aquariums
- Electric beds, safes and signboards
- Anything that cannot be loaded onto a vehicle or carried by hand
- Products that use minerals, gas or oil
- Furniture such as wardrobes, desks and chairs
The FAQ adds some edge cases. Broken appliances are accepted regardless of whether they still work, but items that have been cut up, dismantled or damaged by fire are not; residents of flood- or fire-affected areas are asked to call first. Exercise equipment qualifies only if it runs on mains electricity, so a battery-powered display on a manual exercise bike does not make it electronic. Loose parts on their own, such as a fridge door or a rice cooker's inner pot, are also refused.
To avoid a refusal on the day:
- Uninstall fixed items first. Air conditioners, wall-mounted TVs, water purifiers and built-in appliances must already be removed. Collectors will not take items that are still installed.
- Check stair access. If there is no usable lift, large appliances such as fridges, washers, air conditioners and displays of 70 inches or more are collected only from outside the building or from a ground floor with no stairs.
- Empty the item. Remove food, rubbish, boxes and polystyrene.
- Seal printer cartridges. Take out ink and toner from copiers and printers and seal them.
- Be home for indoor pickups. Someone must be present; empty-home pickups are not offered. Doorstep or yard collection is available on request.
- Label items left outside. A note reading "1599-0903, pickup on [date]" helps prevent illegal dumping complaints.
Collected items cannot be returned, so back up and wipe phones, laptops and tablets yourself before handing them over.
Booking steps, changes and pickup certificates
The online form has five steps: consent to personal data use, collection details, the list of items, basic details with identity verification, and confirmation. Solar panels are the exception: they can be booked only through the call center, and the FAQ refers panel removal to the Korea Electrical Contractors Association on 1566-1177.
You can change or cancel a booking online or by phone. Once a vehicle has been assigned the day before pickup, changes go through the call center or your assigned collector.
If you need proof of disposal for a landlord or building office, download a pickup certificate from the link in the KakaoTalk completion message or from the reservation lookup menu on the website. Personal data is deleted three months after the service date, so download the certificate before then.
What to do with fewer than five small items or refused items
With four or fewer small appliances, follow your local district's rules. In Yongin, apartment residents ask their management office about the designated drop-off spot, while houses and shops use a separate city doorstep collection line (1899-1769). Damaged appliances and furniture go through the municipal bulky waste process instead, which involves reporting the item and paying a fee. Fees and collection days differ by city, so check your own district office website before putting anything out.