Anyone aged 20 or older who brings cigarette butts can receive up to 30,000 KRW per person per month... Submissions accepted at Dong Community Center on the third Wednesday and Thursday of each month
Park Kyum-soo, the mayor of Gangbuk-gu, is explaining the necessity of preventing marine pollution caused by microplastics.
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Park Gyeomsu) will officially operate the ‘Cigarette Butt Collection Reward System’ starting next month.
The ‘Cigarette Butt Collection Reward System’ is a program where residents receive compensation based on the weight of cigarette butts they bring in that were discarded on the streets. Any Gangbuk-gu resident aged 20 or older can earn 10 KRW per gram, up to a maximum of 30,000 KRW per month. However, compensation is only given for weights starting from 1 kg (10,000 KRW), and for amounts exceeding 1 kg, payment is made per gram.
This project began in January last year but was put on hold due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and has now been reactivated.
Residents wishing to participate in the program must complete pre-registration and training at their local community service center before applying for compensation. On the third Wednesday and Thursday of each month, they can visit the community center with the collected cigarette butts, their ID card, and a copy of their bankbook.
Wet cigarette butts or those mixed with foreign substances cannot be accepted. Proxy applications are also not allowed. Compensation will be transferred in bulk to the applicant’s account by the 10th of the following month based on the application date.
The collection reward system was initiated to prevent cigarette butts from flowing into rivers, seas, and other bodies of water. Gangbuk-gu explained that preventing cigarette butts from being discarded on land is an urgent task.
According to the Ministry of Environment, approximately 12.46 million cigarette butts are discarded on the streets daily. Discarded butts enter sewers or storm drains and flow into rivers and seas. The plastic components of cigarette filters that enter the marine environment break down into small pieces, threatening aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics ingested by marine life travel through the food chain and ultimately accumulate in the human body, creating a vicious cycle. It is known that over 90% of domestically produced cigarettes use plastic filters.
So far, Gangbuk-gu has made various efforts to protect the sea from microplastics. Starting with a district-wide campaign to eradicate cigarette butts in 2019, ‘butt strainers’ were installed on storm drains.
Additionally, Gangbuk-gu was the first in the nation to enact an ordinance on the installation and management of ashtrays around restaurants to prevent marine environmental pollution. With the cooperation of restaurant operators and dining industry organizations, about 98% of general restaurants located outside non-smoking areas in the district have installed outdoor ashtrays.
Park Gyeomsu, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “I hope this project will play a pivotal role as a catalyst in preventing marine pollution,” and added, “I hope the ‘Cigarette Butt Collection Reward System’ that started in Gangbuk-gu will expand to include all of Seoul and eventually nationwide.”
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