Complete Halt of 100ℓ Bag Production and Sales Since 2017... Part of Sanitation Workers' Work Environment Improvement... Promotion and Stable Adoption of 75ℓ Bags... Sales Increased from 40,000 in 2016 to 800,000-900,000 in 2019
A sanitation worker is collecting trash in a 75L volume-based waste bag near Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu.
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu is attracting attention as the first autonomous district in Seoul to eliminate 100ℓ volume-based waste bags.
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) has completely stopped the production and sale of 100ℓ volume-based waste bags since January 2017. This measure aims to improve working conditions by preventing injuries that may occur during waste collection by sanitation workers.
Currently, autonomous districts in Seoul and local governments nationwide are replacing the maximum capacity of volume-based waste bags from 100ℓ to 75ℓ.
The perceived weight of a 100ℓ bag for sanitation workers on site reaches 30 to 40 kg. Until now, 100ℓ bags have been convenient to use and could hold a large volume, so they were widely sold to sewing factories, traditional markets, schools, and others. After conducting resident surveys in 2016, Dongdaemun-gu encouraged switching from 100ℓ volume-based waste bags to the previously sold 75ℓ bags. Three years after the policy implementation, the discontinuation of 100ℓ bags has been stably established.
Analyzing the sales volume of volume-based waste bags in Dongdaemun-gu over the past five years, the annual sales of 75ℓ bags were about 40,000 in 2015 and 2016, while 100ℓ bags were about 600,000. From 2017, when 100ℓ bags were phased out, to 2019, about 800,000 to 900,000 75ℓ bags were sold annually.
A sanitation worker in Dongdaemun-gu said, “Please cooperate by not excessively compressing garbage beyond the volume-based waste bag limit, as sanitation workers are also like family.”
Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “The district will continue to take the lead in improving the working environment of on-site workers, including sanitation workers, and in creating a clean urban environment.”
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