Seoul City and Hyosung TNC Sign MOU to Produce Eco-Friendly Clothing Using Recycled Transparent Waste PET Bottles

Autonomous Districts Increase Transparent Waste PET Bottle Collection Rate... Hyosung TNC Pioneers Eco-Friendly Recycled Fiber Market Through Production of Recycled Products

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City signed a business agreement with Hyosung TNC on the 28th to increase the recycling rate of transparent waste PET bottles and create high added value, agreeing to cooperate in the production of eco-friendly clothing processed from waste PET bottles.

The city plans to collect transparent waste PET bottles selectively through autonomous districts, and Hyosung TNC will process them into recycled raw materials, reproduce them into yarn, and manufacture clothing and bags.

Since December 25th last year, the separate disposal of transparent PET bottles has been mandatory in apartment complexes. In this transparent waste PET bottle recycling and processing project, Geumcheon, Yeongdeungpo, and Gangnam districts will participate to expand the collection volume of high-quality transparent waste PET bottles.

According to the revised guidelines from the Ministry of Environment on the separate collection of recyclable resources, mandatory apartment complexes have been required to comply since December 25th last year. Separate collection bins for transparent PET bottles (using vinyl, large bags, etc.) must be provided in addition to plastic collection bins. As of the 21st, a survey (with participation from 20 autonomous districts) showed that out of 1,962 mandatory apartment complexes in the surveyed districts, 1,721 complexes (88%) have installed dedicated collection bins.

Yeongdeungpo District is conducting a project exchanging 30 transparent waste PET bottles for a 10ℓ standard volume-based waste bag at the local community center. Gangnam District is working to prevent secondary contamination during the sorting process and secure high-quality transparent waste PET bottles by preparing separate storage and sorting plans for transparent waste PET bottles at public sorting centers in the district and installing dedicated compactors. Geumcheon District has been securing relatively high-quality transparent waste PET bottles through pre-sorting since the second half of last year to activate the pilot project and ensure early settlement.

The secured transparent waste PET bottles are processed into recycled raw materials such as flakes and chips by intermediate recycling companies, then delivered to Hyosung TNC to be reproduced into polyester yarn. Hyosung TNC aims to pioneer the domestic eco-friendly recycled fiber market by producing and selling clothing and bags made from this yarn.

Seoul City expects that through this business agreement, waste generated in the region will be produced into products that can be consumed again within Seoul, laying the foundation for a regional resource circulation society and circular economy that comply with the principle of waste treatment at the place of generation.

Meanwhile, to ensure the smooth establishment of separate disposal of transparent waste PET bottles, the city plans to continuously inspect whether dedicated collection bins are installed in apartment complexes until June. In single-family housing and commercial areas, the separate disposal day system for vinyl and transparent PET bottles will be mandatory from December 25th this year. Until the mandate, pilot projects requiring disposal of vinyl and transparent PET bottles only on designated days will continue.

Jung Mi-seon, head of the Resource Circulation Division of Seoul City, said, “Through this business agreement, we hope that the transparent waste PET bottle separate disposal system will be exemplary established in three autonomous districts and expanded throughout Seoul, serving as an opportunity to improve citizens’ awareness of recycling waste resources and consuming eco-friendly products.” She added, “Seoul City will actively strive to expand the quantity of high-quality recyclable resources so that our society can leap forward into a practical resource circulation society.”

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