This article highlights the strategies for dealing with fast-growing volumes of urban waste as populations expand and become wealthier, with a particular focus on South Korea's approach to tackling the issue. Cities like Seoul face additional challenges such as limited available land for landfills and public resistance to widespread incineration facilities. In response, Seoul has turned to waste reduction and recycling to manage its waste challenges. Over the years, Seoul has successfully reduced daily domestic waste generation per capita from 1.05 kg in 2000 to 0.86 kg in 2015 and increased its domestic recycling rate from 39.5% in 1993 to 68% in 2015.