Mapo District Named "Excellent District" in Seoul's Household Waste Reduction Evaluation

Securing a 100 Million Won City-Funded Incentive

Mapo District in Seoul announced on May 14, 2026, that it was selected as an "Excellent District" in the first evaluation of household waste reduction by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, securing an incentive of 100 million won from the city budget.

This evaluation is a new system introduced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to respond to the ban on direct landfill disposal in the Seoul metropolitan area, which has been in effect since January 1, 2026. It was carried out as part of the "Household Waste Diet: 10 Million Citizens Action Project," targeting all 25 districts in Seoul. The evaluation covered four areas: household waste reduction performance, participation in source separation, citizen engagement efforts, and district-specific initiatives.

Mapo District conducted a waste characterization inspection and bag-opening campaign to reduce municipal solid waste. Provided by Mapo District.

Mapo District received high marks for its policies to reduce the amount of household waste and improve recycling rates, as well as for fostering a culture of resource circulation with active citizen participation.

To prevent food waste and recyclables from being mixed in pay-as-you-throw trash bags, the district strengthened on-site guidance and notifications through waste collection contractors. At waste collection points, environmental officials conducted composition inspections to check the status of waste disposal, and the results were used to provide targeted guidance in areas prone to improper disposal.

The district also identified new business waste generators and encouraged them to handle their own waste. It expanded the recycling of coffee grounds and discarded sewing fabrics, and promoted the separate collection of clear PET bottles and used plastic bags.

Citizen participation projects were carried out in parallel. Notable examples include the waste separation pledge challenge, the campaign to open pay-as-you-throw trash bags, mobile resource circulation education sessions, and the Mapo Environmental School.

A Mapo District official stated, "This achievement is the valuable result of the active participation and commitment of our residents. We will continue to expand our household waste reduction policies and proactively develop new resource circulation initiatives to respond to the metropolitan area landfill ban."

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