Naju-si Wins 'Minister of Environment Award' in Free Home Visit Collection Contest for Discarded Electronics

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Yoon Byung-tae) announced on the 2nd that it was selected as an excellent institution in the business operation category at the ‘Excellent Local Governments Competition for Free Home Collection of Waste Home Appliances’ hosted by the Ministry of Environment and organized by the Korea Electronics Product Resource Circulation Cooperative, and received the Minister of Environment Award.

The Ministry of Environment and the Korea Electronics Product Resource Circulation Cooperative select excellent local governments every year through a comprehensive evaluation of overall business operations, including free home collection performance of waste home appliances, operation of collection centers, promotion, and efforts targeting local governments nationwide.

Since implementing the project in 2014, the city has actively promoted the project and developed policies to realize carbon neutrality through resource circulation, improve convenience for citizens’ disposal, and exempt disposal fees, while carrying out home collection service activities.

In particular, the city selected the ‘Reorganization of the Collection System for Small and Medium-sized Waste Home Appliances’ as a task to be resolved within 100 days after the launch of the 8th local government administration and received high evaluation for distributing 127 dedicated collection boxes for small and medium-sized waste home appliances to 34 apartment complexes.

Previously, small and medium-sized waste home appliances had to be bundled in groups of five or more and processed with separate fees, but since the installation of dedicated collection boxes, citizens have been able to dispose of waste home appliances free of charge regardless of quantity, receiving great public response.

Through this, as of last month, the city achieved a collection record of 10,484 waste home appliances weighing approximately 280 tons.

Additionally, the city scored highly in areas such as the ‘National Waste Home Appliance Cleanup Day’ (intensive collection campaign), ‘Improvement of Waste Home Appliance Collection Center Facilities,’ and ‘Mutual Cooperation with Sanitation Workers.’

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “Thanks to the policy achievements such as the installation of dedicated collection boxes in apartment complexes following the reorganization of the small and medium-sized waste home appliance collection system, which was a priority task to be resolved within 100 days of the 8th local government administration, and the active cooperation of citizens, we have achieved the rewarding result of being selected as an excellent institution among local governments nationwide and receiving the Minister of Environment Award.”

He added, “With the goal of practicing 2050 carbon neutrality and a major transition to a resource-circulating society in the 8th local government administration, we will do our best to formulate and implement multifaceted policies, including not only the collection of waste home appliances but also the reorganization of the volume-based waste bag supply system, public institution agreements to promote recycling of waste batteries and waste synthetic resins, and comprehensive measures for agricultural waste disposal.”

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong baekok@asiae.co.kr