[Seoul District News] Efforts Needed to Reduce Incineration Waste through Separate Collection Promotion and Resident Participation, Not Additional Incinerator Construction & Single Apartment Selected for Objective Comparison, Incineration Waste Reduction to Be Compared Before and After Promotion
Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District (right), is promoting the separation and disposal of recyclables to reduce incinerated waste.
[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) has launched a campaign to promote the separation and disposal of recyclables among residents in local apartment complexes to reduce incinerated waste.
The recent resident campaign held on the 4th was inspired by the results of a household waste composition analysis conducted on the 11th of last month, related to the ongoing issue of constructing the Mapo-gu Regional Resource Recovery Facility (waste incineration plant). The analysis revealed that 64.3% of the contents in volume-based waste bags were recyclables that do not require incineration.
The purpose is to emphasize that active promotion of recyclable separation and residents' participation can significantly reduce incinerated waste, eliminating the need for additional incineration plants.
First, the district selected an apartment complex consisting of 81 households to objectively compare the reduction of incinerated waste through recyclable separation.
On the day, Mayor Park Gang-su, along with department heads and staff, visited each household in the apartment complex to distribute separate collection bins and volume-based waste bags, providing guidance on recyclable separation items and methods, appealing for residents' active participation in reducing incinerated waste.
To compare the reduction in incinerated waste due to promotional efforts and resident participation, the district collected and measured the amount of household waste discharged from the apartment on the 31st of last month.
The district plans to continue proper separation education and promotion targeting the apartment complex until the 13th, encouraging residents to participate in reducing incinerated waste.
On the 14th, the district will collect household waste discharged from the apartment again to compare the amounts before and after the resident campaign, aiming to find alternatives to additional incineration plant construction.
A housewife living in the apartment, Ms. Lee, expressed her active willingness to participate, saying, “I agree that measures are needed to handle the rapidly increasing waste, but building an incineration plant is not the only answer. From now on, I will diligently separate recyclables to reduce incinerated waste.”
Previously, Mapo-gu proposed the installation of ‘pre-treatment facilities’ in each autonomous district as an alternative to additional incineration plants. These pre-treatment facilities separate metals, plastics, waste vinyl, and other recyclables from volume-based waste bags before incineration, thereby reducing the final amount of waste to be incinerated.
If pre-treatment facilities are installed in each autonomous district of Seoul and only pre-sorted waste is processed at the four incineration plants, it will reduce incineration volume and eliminate the need for additional incineration plants.
Mayor Park Gang-su stated, “More than half of the household waste currently discharged does not actually require incineration,” adding, “If the government, Seoul City, and all 25 districts actively promote separation and disposal, waste can be managed without constructing additional incineration plants.”
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