Seoul Jung-gu to Improve Volume-Based Waste Bags Starting January Next Year

Improved to allow use of volume-based waste bags throughout all areas without district distinction... Newly produced 10ℓ reusable volume-based bags with English and Chinese labels... Maximum capacity changed from 100ℓ to 75ℓ, sales profit from bag vendors increased

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) plans a major transformation of the volume-based waste bags starting January next year to improve the inconveniences residents face in daily life.

Until now, Jung-gu required residents to use volume-based bags designated by contracted companies assigned to each neighborhood. As a result, residents who moved their address within Jung-gu but whose contracted cleaning company’s service area differed had to purchase new volume-based bags, causing inconvenience.

In response, from January 1 next year, the district has integrated the volume-based bags so that they can be used throughout Jung-gu without neighborhood distinctions. The integrated bags will be sold starting when existing stock at sales locations runs out, but the district plans to collect all volume-based bags without neighborhood distinctions from the 1st of next month regardless of bag type. Residents can use up their existing bags before purchasing the new ones.

Additionally, starting January next year, the district will produce volume-based waste bags with foreign language labels. English and Chinese will be displayed alongside Korean on general household waste, food waste, and reusable volume-based bags to help foreigners with waste separation and disposal. The foreign language labels will include practical guidance such as bag names, disposal methods, collection times, and regulations.

Moreover, from January next year, the district will newly produce 10-liter reusable volume-based bags, which are in high demand among residents. Previously, reusable bags sold at large supermarkets in Jung-gu came in two sizes: 3 liters and 20 liters. With the addition of the 10-liter size, there will be three options. This change reflects the demand from the increasing number of single- and two-person households. The district has completed the legislative notice for amendments to related ordinances and enforcement rules and plans to announce the revisions in January next year.

Meanwhile, to prevent safety accidents among sanitation workers, the district will reduce the maximum capacity of waste bags from 100ℓ to 75ℓ starting January next year.

The 100ℓ volume-based bags have often been a heavy burden for sanitation workers. Due to their weight, workers frequently struggled, and some households or businesses overloaded bags to save on bag costs, with final weights sometimes reaching nearly 40kg. This led to injuries such as back pain among sanitation workers during collection.

Accordingly, following amendments to related laws by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the district will stop producing 100ℓ volume-based bags from January next year. Instead, 75ℓ and 50ℓ bags will be used. Previously purchased 100ℓ bags can still be used without any time restrictions.

Also, from January next year, without changing consumer prices, the sales commission for volume-based bag retailers will increase from the current 6-8% to 9%. Therefore, the profit retailers earn from selling volume-based bags (including food waste bags) will be 9% of the sales price.

This increase will generate additional profits for about 200 local volume-based bag retailers such as supermarkets and convenience stores, but there will be no change in consumer prices, so residents will not bear any additional burden.

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, "The major improvements to volume-based waste bags next year are the result of considering all cleaning administration from the perspective of residents to solve the inconveniences they face," adding, "We will continue to do our best so that residents can feel changes in their daily lives."