Gangdong-gu Ice Pack Reuse System Leading Eco-Friendly Innovative Administration

Public-Private-Small Business Cooperation... Collection of 120,000 Ice Packs, 62 Tons Reduction in Household Waste

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon)'s ice pack reuse campaign is capturing the hearts of citizens with heightened environmental awareness.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, online food purchases and deliveries have increased, leading to a rise in the use of ice packs to maintain freshness. It is estimated that over 250 million ice packs are used annually in South Korea, most of which are discarded as waste, becoming a major cause of environmental pollution.

Gangdong-gu, recognizing that single-use ice packs can be reused multiple times, established the nation's first eco-friendly ice pack reuse collection system in February last year.

This year, the district signed a business agreement with traditional market merchant associations and civic groups to promote cooperation among the public sector, private sector, and small business owners.

In Gangdong-gu, dedicated collection boxes have been installed at 18 locations including the district office, allowing residents to easily participate in eco-friendly practices. Collected ice packs go through washing, sterilization, and packaging processes, and are supplied free of charge to traditional markets, small business owners struggling due to COVID-19, and residents in need, receiving positive responses.

A district official stated, “After collecting about 70,000 ice packs in the first year, we collected approximately 123,900 ice packs this year, reducing 62 tons of household waste and cutting 32 tons of greenhouse gases.”

Additionally, Gangdong-gu is conducting a resource circulation program using discarded ice packs in daily life. About 1,000 residents, from children to adults, participate in activities such as making personalized air fresheners using discarded ice packs and sharing mosquito-repellent air fresheners made from ice packs with elderly living alone, encouraging community involvement.

Furthermore, as the eco-friendly ice pack collection system gains recognition, local governments nationwide are benchmarking the Gangdong-gu model and implementing similar projects. The campaign has received continuous external praise, including the 2019 “Korea Policy of the Year” award, the 2020 Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s “Resident Life Innovation Case Expansion Support Project” excellence award with an Innovation Champion plaque, and the 2020 Active Administration Excellence Competition award from the Ministry of Personnel Management.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “Protecting the environment starts with small actions. I ask everyone to participate in green living, starting with reusing hard-to-dispose ice packs, separating transparent PET bottles, and reducing single-use products.” He added, “Based on public-private cooperation, we will actively promote experiential policies that improve residents’ quality of life and eco-friendly policies leading Gangdong-gu to become a green city.”

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