Kim Sam-ho, Gwangsan District Mayor, Volunteers for Weekend Ice Pack Cleaning Service

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Kim Sam-ho, mayor of Gwangsan District, took part in volunteer activities with employees over the weekend.

According to Gwangsan District on the 8th, Mayor Kim conducted ice pack cleaning volunteer work the day before with officials from the district's Cleaning Administration Division at the Pyeongdong Industrial Complex Living Environment Comprehensive Center, and discussed the ongoing reuse pilot project.

Mayor Kim and the staff cleaned 4,000 ice packs that day.

The district has been conducting a pilot project since last September by installing dedicated collection boxes at 334 apartment complexes and 21 neighborhood administrative welfare centers, collecting and cleaning ice packs obtained there, and supplying them to 21 locations including food companies and traditional markets.

With the increase in online fresh food purchases, the usage of ice packs has surged, and most of them are disposed of as general waste through landfill or incineration.

This pilot project was promoted with the aim of changing the reality where many products use microplastic as filler material, causing serious soil and river pollution.

The district collected about 200,000 ice packs weighing approximately 80 tons from mid-September to the end of October. This amount corresponds to 75% of the district's total daily household waste collection volume.

At the Living Environment Comprehensive Center, about 10 volunteers clean the collected ice packs daily and supply them free of charge to reuse companies. As of the end of last month, the district has distributed about 77,000 ice packs weighing 31 tons.

Going forward, the district plans to establish a system for cleaning and delivering ice packs linked to job creation, and to provide stable supply to user companies.

Mayor Kim said, “Through the pilot project, Gwangsan District will present a new field of resource recycling and environmental protection while seeking job creation. We will standardize the size and specifications of ice packs and address the challenge of switching filler materials to water by first considering and finding solutions within the local community.”

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