Seongdong-gu Expands Installation of 10 'IoT Smart Paper Pack Collection Boxes'

Last Year, 2,156 Users Exchanged 524 Milk and Pizzas at Four Pilot Sites

Using the 'IoT Smart Paper Carton Collection Box'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) has begun expanding the installation of ‘IoT Smart Paper Pack Collection Boxes’ to increase the recycling rate of paper packs and establish the habit of separate disposal.

Paper packs, which are mainly made of high-quality pulp, have a different material composition from general waste paper and require a separate recycling process. However, it is common for paper packs to be mixed with paper waste due to the lack of dedicated collection boxes or insufficient awareness of separate disposal. When mixed with paper waste, they cannot be recycled during the processing stage and are treated as general waste, which increases waste disposal costs and causes environmental pollution.

Accordingly, to increase the collection rate of paper packs, which have high value as recyclable resources, the district installed and operated ‘IoT Smart Paper Pack Collection Boxes’ on a trial basis last year at four locations including Wangsimni Doseon-dong, Eungbong-dong, Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong Community Centers, and Hanyang University. Encouraged by residents’ positive response, the district selected locations with high foot traffic to expand the installation.

In October, the district completed installation at a total of 10 locations, including the Seongdong-gu Office building, six community centers (Sageun-dong, Haengdang 1-dong, Geumho 1-ga-dong, Geumho 4-ga-dong, Seongsu 2-ga 3-dong, Songjeong-dong Community Center), and three libraries (Seongdong-gu Library, Seongdong-gu Geumho Library, Seongdong-gu Yongdap Library).

The usage method is to run the ‘Today’s Recycling App’ on a smartphone, authenticate the user, scan the barcode attached to the paper pack at the collection box, and then insert the paper pack. Points are automatically accumulated. Ten points are earned per paper pack, and when 10 paper packs are disposed of, users can redeem a 200ml milk, and when 200 paper packs are disposed of, they can redeem a pizza.

During the one-year trial operation, a total of 2,156 users collected 5,486 paper packs weighing 1,015 kg. Additionally, a total of 524 redemptions were made for milk or pizza using accumulated points.

A district official said, “The installation of these paper pack collection boxes is significant not only for increasing the recycling rate of paper packs but also because, in the COVID-19 era, residents can dispose of paper packs and receive rewards anytime without face-to-face contact.”

He added, “It is not just about separating paper packs for disposal, but improving the collection system so that separated paper packs are not mixed with general paper until the final stage at the sorting center, thereby increasing the collection rate of paper packs and effectively improving the recycling rate.”

You can use the 'IoT Smart Paper Carton Collection Box' and accumulate rewards through the app.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “As the amount of waste is increasing exponentially due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, proper separate disposal from the point of disposal is important to reduce waste before the processing stage. We will strive to establish a culture of proper recyclable waste separation and secure high-quality recyclable resources to increase the resource circulation rate through the expansion of IoT Smart Paper Pack Collection Boxes.”

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