Hong Nampyo, Changwon Special City Mayor, "Improving Labor Conditions by Switching Household Waste Collection to Weekly"

Change from 5 AM to 6 AM starting in 2024

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam announced on the 20th that the collection time for household waste, which previously started at 5 a.m., will be changed to start at 6 a.m. beginning in 2024.

Although the Ministry of Environment has recommended switching to daytime collection due to safety concerns such as limited visibility and sleep deprivation during early morning hours, many local governments have maintained early morning collection due to operational efficiency and citizen inconvenience.

Hong Nampyo, Changwon Special City Mayor.

Having maintained a cautious stance until now, Changwon City has prioritized the health management and treatment improvement of workers and has decisively decided to switch to daytime collection.

In response to the city’s decision, workers from the collection companies expressed their gratitude for the city’s efforts to improve labor conditions and welcomed the change, saying it is fortunate to be able to work in a safer environment.

Accordingly, union members who had gone on strike at Seongeun Sanitation Corporation in Seongsan-gu immediately returned to the collection sites. However, Dongseong Industry located in Jinhae-gu continues its strike due to labor-management issues, independent of this decision.

Mayor Hong Nampyo stated, “I hope that switching household waste collection to daytime will greatly help improve labor conditions and prevent safety accidents,” adding, “We will continue to pay close attention to improving the treatment of household waste collection workers.”

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