How Does Jung-gu, Seoul Achieve First Place in Reducing Household Waste for 3 Consecutive Years?

Best District in Seoul's 2022 Household Waste Import Management System Evaluation

Three Consecutive Years as Best District Since 2021, Receiving 340 Million KRW Incentive

Actively Promoting Household Waste Reduction and Increased Recycling Collection

Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gil-seong) was found to have reduced the most household waste among Seoul’s autonomous districts last year.

Jung-gu was selected as the best district in the “2022 Household Waste Import Management System Evaluation” conducted by Seoul City and received an incentive of 340 million KRW. Having also been chosen as the best district in 2021 (based on 2020 data) and 2022 (based on 2021 data), Jung-gu achieved the honor of being number one in household waste reduction for three consecutive years.

The “Import Management System” is a waste reduction policy linked to the total import volume system of the Sudokwon Landfill Site. It sets an annual household waste quota for each district’s public treatment facilities and has been implemented since 2018. Incentives are given when reduction targets are met, but penalties are imposed if the import volume is exceeded.

Last year, Jung-gu’s household waste import quota for the Mapo Resource Recovery Facility and Sudokwon Landfill Site was 64,360 tons. However, the actual imported amount was 47,905 tons, achieving a remarkable reduction of 16,455 tons. This corresponds to a 26% reduction compared to the quota.

Compared to Jung-gu’s household waste import volume of 57,155 tons in 2021, this is an additional reduction of 9,250 tons in one year.

Among the 25 autonomous districts, Jung-gu has the smallest area and population, yet until 2019, the average annual household waste generated was about 68,000 tons, ranking third after Gangnam and Songpa districts. This is due to a daily floating population of 3.6 million and the concentration of famous tourist spots.

In 2018 and 2019, Jung-gu exceeded the import volume to public treatment facilities and received penalties. Since then, Jung-gu has firmly implemented policies to reduce household waste emissions and increase recycling collection rates through a “waste diet.”

A representative example is the “Recyclable Waste Volume-based Bag Exchange Project with Residents.”

Every Thursday, residents bring transparent PET bottles, paper packs, and used batteries to the local community center in exchange for volume-based waste bags. Last year, 29,849 people participated, collecting 1,412,058 items. This project received enthusiastic support, with 20% of Jung-gu’s population participating, and this year the target items will be expanded to include cans and glass bottles.

Additionally, to enable daily separate disposal of transparent PET bottles, which are increasingly important as high-quality recycled raw materials, smart collection bins were installed in Sindang-dong, the area where most Jung-gu residents live. The district also actively promoted the reuse of ice packs generated from food delivery and parcel services.

To reduce the use of disposable cups, a reusable cup unmanned return machine was installed at the first-floor cafe of the district office, and the import of disposable cups into the district office was banned, setting an example from the district office itself.

For waste generated at local events and festivals, event organizers are required to designate waste managers, and mobile recycling separation stations are supported to ensure recyclable materials are separated and collected. If waste is mixed and disposed of in volume-based bags without separation, fines are imposed, ensuring strict waste quality management.

To correct the wrongful behavior of some residents who indiscriminately dump household waste, illegal dumping crackdowns were strengthened, resulting in 6,686 cases and fines totaling over 326 million KRW.

In addition to these efforts, Jung-gu plans to actively identify business waste emitters this year.

Following last year’s amendment to the Waste Management Act, businesses generating more than 300 kg of household waste per day must contract with private companies for self-treatment and report to the district office. Previously, business waste was collected by Jung-gu’s cleaning contractors using volume-based waste bags.

Due to COVID-19 and other factors, many businesses were excluded from business waste emitters due to reduced waste generation. Jung-gu’s policy is to monitor their waste output and convert them into business waste reporting targets. This will reduce the amount and cost of household waste treatment that Jung-gu must handle.

District Mayor Kim Gil-seong stated, “Jung-gu will continue to implement various policies to reduce household waste and increase resource circulation of recyclables to leave a better living environment for future generations.”

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