The phrase “Reduce, reuse, recycle” is an environmental mantra that has been drilled into us, but as much as managing our output has a positive impact on waste production, natural resources and our wallets, so does managing our input.   

A little more than a year ago, I moved to South Korea to teach English to spoiled kindergartners. I was crammed into a small box apartment in the outskirts of Seoul furnished with only a mattress and a television I found in the trash. As the weeks went by, I started to notice that near the entrance of every single building in Korea was a "Garbage Watcher" who watches people take out their trash during the day, ensuring efficiency and respect for the dumpster.