Seoul Expands 'Zero Waste' Initiative to Event Venues... Mandatory Waste Reduction Plans Enforced

'Standard Ordinance Bill' for Waste Reduction Plans

Includes Measures for Waste Separation and Management Standards

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is expanding its 'Zero Waste for Everyday Waste' initiative to event venues. The aim is to minimize waste generation during the spring season when large-scale festivals and various events are concentrated.

On March 24, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it has distributed a 'standard ordinance bill' requiring all 25 district offices to establish mandatory waste reduction plans before holding major events.

Reusable container usage scene. Seoul City

The ordinance bill contains comprehensive management standards, including: ▲ the use of products suitable for waste reduction and recycling; ▲ plans for the reuse and recycling of event supplies and measures for waste separation; ▲ and a plan for evaluating event waste reduction. The bill reflects the same content as the 'Seoul Waste Management Ordinance,' which was revised in September 2024, and its core is to make it mandatory for district offices to establish waste reduction plans prior to events and to use products suitable for recycling.

Previously, through its reusable container support project, the city replaced a total of 4.49 million single-use containers from 2022 to 2025, reducing waste by approximately 126 tons.

Since the ban on disposable items at events organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and its affiliated institutions in September 2024, 54 events have complied with the directive. At the BTS comeback concert on March 21, additional bins for separating paper and plastic waste were installed.

Seoul plans to link the waste reduction performance of events to district performance evaluations and to select outstanding events at both the city and district levels. Based on these results, incentives such as support for reusable containers will be provided the following year to encourage active participation from public institutions.

Kwon Min, Head of the Climate and Environment Headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "We hope that all festivals held throughout Seoul will become a model for sustainable, eco-friendly culture," adding, "We will work closely with district offices to make Seoul a world-class resource-circulating city."

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