Seoul’s ‘Waste Diet’ Succeeds: Daily Household Waste Down by 63 Tons

April-May Evaluation: Waste Decreases, Recycling Increases
Performance-Based Reforms: Higher Scores for Reduction and Segregation
Nine Districts Selected for Incentives Totaling 1 Billion Won
Third Comprehensive Evaluation Planned: Ongoing

Since the introduction of district performance evaluations by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to reduce household waste, the city has seen the daily generation of household waste cut by more than half.

On July 30, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that, according to the results of the second round of district performance evaluations conducted in April and May this year, the daily average amount of household waste generated decreased by 63 tons compared to the same period last year.

Garbage processing at a resource circulation center in the metropolitan area. Photo by Yonhap News

This figure is more than twice the reduction achieved in the first round of evaluations (February to April), when the daily reduction was 29 tons. Notably, during the same period, the daily average amount of public recyclables collected increased by 55 tons, boosting the city’s resource circulation rate.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government analyzed that revising its evaluation criteria to allocate more points for tangible reduction achievements and successful waste separation contributed to these results.

In the second evaluation, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide a total of 1 billion won in incentives to nine districts that demonstrated outstanding performance. Yongsan District was selected as the top-performing district and will receive an incentive of 300 million won. One top district will receive 300 million won, three excellent districts will each receive 100 million won, and five commendable districts will each be granted 80 million won. Gwanak, Guro, Yeongdeungpo, and Eunpyeong were recognized as excellent districts for the second time in a row, while Gangnam, Gangdong, Gwangjin, and Geumcheon were newly listed among the excellent districts in this round.

Gwangjin District supported the initial settlement of single-person households newly moving into the area by providing recycling bags and separation guidelines. Gwanak District improved participation in waste separation by distributing multilingual guides in five languages for foreign residents. Gangdong District expanded recycling base facilities within the locality to encourage citizen participation in resource circulation.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to continue its waste reduction drive by conducting a third comprehensive evaluation based on cumulative results through August. Yoon Jaesam, the Director General of Seoul's Climate and Environment Headquarters, stated, "The tangible reduction in household waste is the outcome of proactive on-site policies from district offices combined with the voluntary efforts of 10 million citizens." He added, "We will continue to improve systems and infrastructure to ensure that reducing waste becomes firmly rooted in everyday life."

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