Gangnam-gu Partners with Cheonil Energy for Free Collection of Woody Waste in Multi-Family Housing

Up to 400 Million Won in Annual Management Fee Savings for 300 Complexes

On November 14, Gangnam-gu in Seoul (Mayor Seongmyung Cho) announced that it will implement the nation’s first free collection project for woody waste targeting multi-family housing complexes.

Gangnam-gu signed a business agreement on the 7th with Cheonil Energy for a free collection project of timber waste targeting multi-family housing complexes. Photo right: Seongmyeong Cho, Mayor of Gangnam-gu. Left: Sangwon Park, CEO of Cheonil Energy. Provided by Gangnam-gu.

On November 7, the district signed a business agreement with Cheonil Energy Co., Ltd., which was selected for the “2025 Second Half ESG for the Future with Gangnam” public project, and officially launched the initiative.

Previously, the collection of woody waste focused mainly on forests and public land. This marks the first time in Korea that a local government has established a free collection system specifically for multi-family housing complexes. As a result, more than 300 such complexes in Gangnam-gu will be able to dispose of branches, fallen leaves, and similar waste without incurring additional costs. This is expected to reduce annual management fees by approximately 300 to 400 million won.

Cheonil Energy will process the collected woody waste into eco-friendly biofuel in the form of wood chips and supply it to power plants and other facilities. This process is expected to promote resource circulation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through this initiative, Gangnam-gu has created a public-private partnership structure that delivers tangible management fee savings for residents while providing companies with a revenue model through raw material procurement and renewable energy sales.

Mayor Seongmyung Cho stated, “This public-private cooperation model goes beyond simple resource collection and serves as a new ESG case in which residents and businesses work together to build a sustainable Gangnam. We will continue to develop innovative policies that residents can feel and that contribute to achieving carbon neutrality.”

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