Guro District to Offer Up to 20,000 Won in Gift Certificates to Businesses Joining Joint Coffee Grounds and Paper Carton Collection

From October 15 until the budget is exhausted

Seoul's Guro District, headed by District Mayor Jang Inhong, announced on October 16 that it will hold an incentive event to encourage more local coffee shops to participate in the collection program for coffee grounds and paper cartons.

Promotional notice for a project to promote the joint collection of coffee grounds and paper cartons. Provided by Guro-gu.

Coffee grounds and paper cartons have high recycling value, but they are often discarded as general waste or mixed with other paper waste. In May 2025, the district signed a business agreement with Chunil Energy for a coffee grounds recycling project and began collecting coffee grounds free of charge. Since May 2026, it has expanded the pilot program to include the collection of paper cartons.

The event is part of the initiative to promote the joint collection of coffee grounds and paper cartons and will run through Chunil Energy's mobile app, Jigu hada, from October 15 until the budget is exhausted. It is open to coffee shops in Guro District that participate in the collection program for both items.

Incentives will be provided as Seoul Love Gift Certificates (metropolitan). The first 60 newly participating businesses to complete registration for free coffee grounds collection will receive a 10,000-won gift certificate. Those that also complete joint collection of paper cartons will receive an additional 10,000-won gift certificate, for a total of up to 20,000 won. Existing coffee grounds collection participants will receive a 10,000-won gift certificate if they apply for and complete joint collection of paper cartons. Gift certificates will be sent to the contact information registered in the app early in the month after the application.

Participating businesses should register in the app and request collection by 9 p.m. every Thursday. Those wishing to include paper cartons should write "paper carton disposal" in the "Other requests" field. Pickups are made every Friday. Coffee grounds should be separated from straws, plastic, and other items, placed in a designated bag or clear plastic bag labeled with the business name, and set out for collection. Paper cartons should be emptied, rinsed, dried, flattened, and bundled separately.

"Expanding the recycling of coffee grounds and paper cartons is expected to significantly reduce the amount of household waste sent for incineration or landfilling, as well as disposal costs," District Mayor Jang Inhong said. "Now that joint collection has made disposal more convenient, we hope businesses will actively participate."

For inquiries about the event, contact the Guro District Office's Cleaning Administration Division at 02-860-2376. For inquiries about collection, contact Jigu hada at 1660-3114.

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