Expansion of Seongdong Purumi Recycling Station Operation

Gradual Expansion of Seongdong Purumi Recycling Stations, 117 Sites Operated This Year with 234 Resource Managers Deployed
Participation Rewards Include Household Volume-Based Waste Bags (10ℓ) or Food Waste Bags (3ℓ), Up to 10 Successful Event Attempts

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) will expand the operation of the resource circulation project, 'Seongdong Purumi Recycling Stations' (hereinafter referred to as Recycling Stations), to 117 locations this year to reduce mixed waste disposal in residential areas and improve the culture of separating recyclables.

The Recycling Stations are mobile separation bins installed in alleyways of residential areas densely populated with villas and multi-family houses where proper separation of waste is not well practiced.

Twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays, from 7 PM to 9 PM, two resource managers are stationed at each station to guide residents on the correct methods of waste separation. Each station is equipped with separation bins for eight categories: transparent PET bottles, plastics, vinyl, cans and scrap metal, glass bottles, paper, paper packs, and styrofoam.

The Recycling Stations began with a pilot operation of 6 locations in 2020, gradually expanding to 102 locations in 2021, 112 in 2022, and 115 in 2023. This year, 117 stations will be in operation. Two resource managers are assigned per station, totaling 234 personnel actively working.

Residents who visit the Recycling Stations and participate in waste separation are provided with either a 10ℓ general household volume-based waste bag or a 3ℓ food waste volume-based bag.

Additionally, starting from the first half of this year, a stamp event is being held to further encourage residents' participation in waste separation. After participating in separation collection 10 times at the Recycling Stations, residents can receive a three-tiered bag for separated waste collection.

In December last year, the district installed solar-powered signs made by recycling coffee grounds to help residents easily locate the Recycling Stations even at night. This is expected to not only enhance the promotional effect of recyclable separation but also improve accessibility for residents, leading to an increase in users.

Besides the Recycling Stations, Seongdong-gu is promoting various projects to create a resource-circulating city, including reducing household waste and fostering a circular economy. These include ▲ recycling coffee grounds ▲ installing IoT unmanned collection machines for paper packs and PET bottles and ice pack collection bins ▲ operating day-based separation for transparent PET bottles and waste vinyl ▲ and recycling industries utilizing coffee grounds, cork stoppers, and waste sewing fabrics.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Through the operation of the Seongdong Purumi Recycling Stations, we hope to establish a proper culture of waste separation and contribute to the activation of the resource circulation economy and waste reduction. We will continue to strive to play a leading role as a resource-circulating city.”

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