Is the Precious Ginkgo Leaf from Songpa-gu Transforming into a Rare Treasure on Nami Island?

Songpa-gu Rebirths Fallen Ginkgo Leaves from Nami Island into 'Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road'... Free Eco-Friendly Compost Provided to Metropolitan Farms... Cost Reduction, Farm Management Support, and Tourist Memories Create Triple Benefits

Children and tourists visiting Nami Island are enjoying stepping on ginkgo leaves sent from Songpa-gu.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Seogang Seok) is achieving a triple effect by increasing the utility of difficult-to-dispose fallen leaves in the urban area, recycling them into tourism resources and eco-friendly compost.

Every autumn, the colorful foliage decorating the streets offers beautiful scenery, but over time, it becomes trash or clogs drainage systems, becoming a nuisance.

The process and costs of collection, transportation, and incineration by sanitation workers to handle this are also considerable.

To solve this, the district added a creative recycling idea to the discarded fallen leaves.

They collect fallen ginkgo leaves and transport them to Nami Island in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, a representative autumn tourist destination, to create the "Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road." This idea was inspired by the fact that ginkgo leaves fall earlier on Nami Island due to its geographical characteristics compared to Songpa-gu.

Through this, the district not only recycles difficult-to-dispose fallen leaves but also reduces costs and provides tourists visiting Nami Island with a long-lasting autumn atmosphere, achieving a triple benefit.

This year, about 20 tons of ginkgo leaves were moved to Nami Island on the 11th. Sanitation workers personally loaded the ginkgo leaves collected from roadside areas since mid-October and headed to Nami Island. The carefully selected ginkgo leaves were spread along a 100-meter path lined with ginkgo trees in the center of Nami Island, completing the "Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road."

Tourists visiting Nami Island said, "It is very unique that the ginkgo tree road, which is rarely seen on Nami Island, was made with ginkgo leaves from the distant Songpa-gu," adding, "Walking this path feels like walking on a yellow carpet."

Songpa-gu's fallen leaf recycling does not stop here. Every year, the district provides about 600 tons of fallen leaves free of charge to about 10 farms near the metropolitan area, including Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do. Each farm uses the fallen leaves as insulation for special crops to prepare for cold waves and also as eco-friendly compost.

In particular, the district is significantly saving disposal costs through fallen leaf recycling. It is expected to recycle about 97% (approximately 660 tons) of the estimated fallen leaf volume this year, saving about 100 million won in disposal costs.

Seogang Seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, "Songpa-gu is creating a successful win-win model by diversifying the recycling of ginkgo leaves to reduce costs, while also enhancing tourists' enjoyment and reducing farmers' operating expenses," adding, "We will continue to discover resource recycling projects with everyday ideas and carry out administration that considers future generations."

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