Jongno-gu Implements 'Separate Collection Days for Waste Vinyl and PET Bottles' System

Separated collection of mixed recyclables: plastic bags and clear PET bottles to be disposed and collected weekly on specific days (Thursday or Friday)... Promotion via district newsletter and SNS to prevent recyclable resources from entering volume-based waste bags

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jongno-gu (District Mayor Kim Young-jong) is promoting a pilot project for the ‘Day-based Separate Disposal System for Waste Vinyl and Waste PET Bottles’ across the entire district, with focused publicity efforts.

Launched in February, this pilot project aims to improve recycling rates and secure high-quality recyclable materials through a day-based system. Among recyclables previously disposed of mixed together, waste vinyl and clear waste PET bottles (such as beverage and water bottles) are to be separated and disposed of only on designated days each week for collection.

The pilot operation period for separate disposal of waste vinyl runs from February to June this year, with full implementation starting in July.

For clear waste PET bottles like beverage and water bottles, the pilot operation in multi-family housing runs from February to June, with full implementation beginning in July.

Single-family homes will have a pilot operation period until December this year, followed by full implementation starting January next year. During the pilot period, collection will continue as before, but residents will be encouraged to participate voluntarily.

The district is promoting the project using district newsletters and the district office’s SNS channels, installing separate collection bins for waste PET bottles in multi-family housing management offices, and providing guidance on separate disposal.

Additionally, during meetings with professional organizations, the district explains the purpose of the day-based system and provides clear and easy-to-understand guidelines for separate disposal.

According to the separate disposal standards, waste vinyl must be washed clean with water regardless of the vinyl’s color or recycling mark, placed in transparent vinyl bags, and disposed of only on designated days (for areas previously collected on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, disposal is on Friday; for other areas, on Thursday). Heavily contaminated waste vinyl that is difficult to clean must be disposed of in designated volume-based waste bags.

Colorless transparent waste PET bottles must have their labels (vinyl) removed and be disposed of separately on the designated day (the same day as waste vinyl collection).

District Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “The day-based separate disposal system for waste vinyl and waste PET bottles has been implemented to improve recycling rates and reduce residual waste.” He added, “We will widely inform residents to prevent recyclable resources from being disposed of in volume-based waste bags and strive to raise community interest in environmental protection and resource circulation.”

Last December, Jongno-gu became the first among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts to promote ‘separate collection and recycling of glass bottles,’ working to prevent reusable and recyclable resources from entering volume-based waste bags.

Collected glass bottles are transported by district-operated cleaning vehicles to recycling companies, where specialized glass recycling firms sort them by color and recycle them into new glass bottles or construction materials.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.