Installation of 20 Cigarette Butt Trash Bins in Dasan-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul

Commercial Area with Dense Shops, Habitual Cigarette Butt Dumping Zone: Scheduled Butt Collection and Surrounding Maintenance

Cigarette Butt Trash Bin Installed in Dasan-dong

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Twenty cigarette butt trash bins have been installed in 20 alleyways in Dasan-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seoyangho).

The alleys where the trash bins were installed, Dongho-ro 11-gil and 12-gil in Dasan-dong, are famous food streets with many popular restaurants and are located near Cheonggu Station and Yaksu Station, making them areas with heavy foot traffic.

As a result, there were many cigarette butts carelessly discarded in the alleys. In particular, during heavy rains, it was common for people to use storm drains as ashtrays and illegally dump cigarette butts, causing frequent problems such as sewer backflow.

In response, Dasan-dong launched the cigarette butt trash bin installation project under the slogan "Butt Zero, Clean Dasan," with residents, merchants, and Clean Coordinators who care for the neighborhood joining forces. Since the project was included in the budget last year based on residents' proposals, it reflects the residents' determination that "our neighborhood environment is protected by our neighborhood residents."

The project idea was proposed by residents and handed over to Dasan-dong staff. The staff visited various trash bins installed in private and public sectors to benchmark and visually confirm their efficiency and status. Afterwards, in collaboration with the cleaning coordinator, Clean Coordinator, they inspected every corner of the neighborhood and selected 20 locations for trash bin installation, including secluded alleys, leftover spaces, and in front of stores where habitual illegal cigarette butt dumping occurred.

The cigarette butt trash bins are elongated in shape, measuring 200cm × 230cm × 1000cm. Perforated plates are attached to the front and back of the upper part to allow cigarette extinguishing, and the input slot is designed to accept only cigarette butts to minimize the inflow of general waste. The front collection door allows smooth collection of contents with just a push button. The top is dome-shaped to minimize foreign material accumulation.

The trash bins will be autonomously managed by store owners or continuously maintained using desired employment opportunities.

The newly created trash bins were recognized for their spatial efficiency, durability, design, and aftercare, and were selected as the standard design for cigarette butt trash bins in Jung-gu.

Seoyangho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "Resident participation is not a grand affair. Small interests and ideas from residents, like in this project, change the neighborhood," and added, "I ask for much interest and participation so that the neighborhood environment can be improved with the mindset that residents are the owners of the village."

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