pyegimul ttaemune baesuguga makhyeossseupnida.

때문에 means because of or due to.

So 폐기물 때문에 means because of the waste or due to waste.

A useful pattern is:

• noun + 때문에 = because of the noun
• verb/adjective stem + 기 때문에 = because/because of the fact that ...

Examples:

• 비 때문에 = because of the rain
• 비가 오기 때문에 = because it is raining

In your sentence, 폐기물 is a noun, so 때문에 attaches directly to it.

Because 배수구가 is the subject of 막혔습니다.

The verb here is 막히다, which means to be blocked / to get clogged. With this verb, the thing that becomes blocked is marked with 이/가.

So:

• 배수구가 막혔습니다 = the drain got clogged / the drain is clogged

Even though English might focus on waste as the cause, Korean grammar treats the drain as the thing in the blocked state, so 가 is natural here.

The dictionary form is 막히다.

Breakdown:

• 막히다 = to be blocked, to get clogged
• 막혔- = past tense stem
• 습니다 = formal polite ending

So 막혔습니다 means was blocked, got blocked, or has become blocked, depending on context.

Because 막히다 and 막다 are different verbs.

• 막다 = to block something
• 막히다 = to be blocked / to get blocked

So:

• 폐기물이 배수구를 막았습니다
  = The waste blocked the drain

• 폐기물 때문에 배수구가 막혔습니다
  = The drain got clogged because of waste

The sentence you have focuses more on the resulting condition of the drain, not on waste as the active doer.

It is often taught as a passive-related verb, and in many cases English translates it with be blocked, but it is often more natural to think of it as become/get blocked.

So 배수구가 막혔습니다 is not just a mechanical passive. It describes the drain entering that state.

That is why translations like these can all work:

• The drain was blocked
• The drain got clogged
• The drain became blocked

폐기물 means waste material or refuse, and it sounds more formal or technical than 쓰레기.

• 폐기물: formal, official, industrial, technical
• 쓰레기: everyday word for trash/garbage

So this sentence sounds like something you might see in:

• a report
• a maintenance notice
• a safety document
• an official explanation

In casual speech, someone might say:

• 쓰레기 때문에 배수구가 막혔어요.

배수구 means a drain, drain opening, or drain outlet.

It can refer to places where water flows out, such as:

• a sink drain
• a floor drain
• a bathroom drain
• a street drainage opening

The exact English translation depends on context, but drain is usually the safest general choice.

Yes, you might hear that, but the nuance is a little different.

• 폐기물 때문에 배수구가 막혔습니다
  = The drain got clogged because of waste.
  Focus: cause/reason.

• 폐기물로 배수구가 막혔습니다
  = The drain got clogged with/by waste.
  Focus: the material that clogged it.

So 때문에 emphasizes why, while 로 can emphasize what it was clogged with.

Because 막혔습니다 is in the formal polite style.

This style is common in:

• announcements
• reports
• customer service
• written notices
• formal conversation

A less formal polite version would be:

• 폐기물 때문에 배수구가 막혔어요.

A plain dictionary-style version would be:

• 폐기물 때문에 배수구가 막혔다.

So the meaning stays the same, but the level of formality changes.

Yes. Korean word order is flexible as long as the particles and grammar make the relationships clear.

For example, this is also possible:

• 배수구가 폐기물 때문에 막혔습니다.

This still means the same thing.

The version with 폐기물 때문에 at the beginning sounds natural because Korean often puts the cause/background information first, then gives the main event afterward.