Transformation of 20 Tons of Fallen Leaves from Songpa-gu... Creation of 'Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road' on Nami Island

20 Tons of Ginkgo Leaves from Songpa on Nami Island Trails, 600 Tons of Fallen Leaves Provided to Farms in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... Triple Benefits: Tourism Resource, Eco-friendly Compost, and Significant Reduction in Leaf Disposal Costs

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) will transport about 20 tons of ginkgo leaves from the street trees in Songpa-gu to Nami Island on the 12th to create the 'Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road.'

Every year, the colorful autumn leaves provide beautiful scenery, but once they fall to the ground, they become a nuisance by blocking drainage channels.

Moreover, the process and cost of collecting, transporting, and incinerating these leaves are considerable.

In response, the district has been promoting unique resource recycling projects in cooperation with the private sector by utilizing difficult-to-dispose fallen leaves.

First, since 2006, the district has been operating the 'Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road Project,' which collects ginkgo leaves annually and creates a ginkgo road on Nami Island, a representative autumn tourist destination, turning it into a tourism resource.

This year, about 20 tons of collected ginkgo leaves will be moved to Nami Island on the 12th. Songpa-gu sanitation workers will load about 20 tons of ginkgo leaves collected from street trees since October and transport them to Nami Island, where they will be spread along a 100-meter-long tree-lined road in the center of Nami Island to complete the 'Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road.'

Noting that ginkgo leaves fall earlier on Nami Island due to its geographical characteristics compared to Songpa-gu, this project helps recycle fallen leaves and allows tourists visiting Nami Island to enjoy the autumn atmosphere for a longer time.

Additionally, the district provides about 600 tons of fallen leaves free of charge every year to about 10 nearby farms in the metropolitan area. Leaves fallen from broadleaf street trees are collected and transformed into eco-friendly compost, which is sent to farms. Each farm uses the leaves as insulation for specialty crops to prepare for cold waves and also utilizes them as eco-friendly compost.

The district significantly saves on leaf incineration costs through this unique leaf recycling. It is expected that about 95% (approximately 650 tons) of the anticipated fallen leaves this year will be recycled, saving over 100 million KRW.

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “Songpa-gu is developing ginkgo leaves into various tourism resources, supporting farms with compost and insulation materials, and greatly reducing disposal costs, thereby creating a successful win-win cooperation model. We will continue to discover various resource recycling projects, such as fallen leaves and coffee grounds, which Songpa-gu has been leading, and make the city a leader in resource circulation.”

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