Nowon-gu, the Nation's First 'Back Alley Cleaning Self-Support Work Group' Operation: Why Is It So Effective?

Cooperation with Three Local Self-Sufficiency Centers... Expanded to 36 Participants in 2019 and 108 in 2021 Due to High Response... Proposed as a National Model Project by the Korea Association of Local Self-Sufficiency Centers

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is receiving great responses by operating the ‘Back Alley Cleaning Self-Support Work Group’ in partnership with local self-support centers for the first time nationwide, achieving both the expansion of self-support work welfare jobs and the creation of clean alleyways.

The ‘Back Alley Cleaning Self-Support Work Group’ was initiated to fill the gap in cleaning administration.

Since the start of the 7th local government in 2018, the district declared a war on garbage and deployed temporary workers and public workers to clean back alleys, where cleaning gaps were severe due to manpower shortages.

As the expected results were not achieved, the district sought solutions by partnering with local self-support centers to ensure continuous and responsible cleaning, which was pointed out as a major issue.

In March 2019, the district signed private consignment agreements with three local self-support centers?Nowon, Nambu, and Bukbu?and from April, the ‘Back Alley Cleaning Work Group’ composed of 36 members began full-scale activities. The group, operated under the responsibility of designated managers at each center, proved its effectiveness by receiving the highest score in the ‘Seoul City Street Cleanliness Evaluation’ conducted that year.

Accordingly, in 2020, the district expanded the operation of the work group from 6 neighborhoods to all 19 neighborhoods, increasing the number of members from 36 to 82.

By the second year of operation, more systematic and efficient management became possible. Cleaning staff at the community service centers patrol daily to report issues to the self-support center managers, and the self-support work group cleans the assigned areas the following day based on the reported issues.

Participants show a high sense of responsibility and a deep understanding of the area, leading to timely handling of habitual illegal dumping and long-term neglected garbage, resulting in high satisfaction among residents and community service centers.

This year, 26 more members were added, bringing the total to 108. The operation, which had been running for 10 months, was changed to year-round operation, with teams of two working from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, taking responsibility for cleaning back alleys in the area.

The Korea Association of Local Self-Support Centers proposed Nowon’s back alley cleaning self-support project as a nationwide model, as it encourages low-income people’s will for self-support through jobs and improves the environment of local alleys and streets.

Meanwhile, under the slogan ‘Cleaning Revolution’ in 2018, the district drastically improved the cleaning administration system. Garbage disposal frequency was changed from three times a week to six times a week. Cleaning personnel such as sanitation workers were reinforced, the number of enforcement officers increased from just two to 15, and CCTV installations were added to strengthen enforcement. The number of trash bins along streets was expanded from 19 to 54.

As a result, in the 2020 Nowon-gu district awareness survey, the improvement of the cleaning environment system ranked first in satisfaction in the ‘Jobs and Regional Development’ policy project evaluation.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “The ‘Self-Support Work Group’ is a win-win project that provides self-support work jobs to low-income people struggling in the prolonged COVID-19 employment market and offers a clean environment to residents,” adding, “We ask for residents’ active cooperation to eradicate illegal dumping for the clean image of Nowon.”

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