Revolutionary Overhaul of Nowon-gu Cleaning Administration System

Rapid collection through improvement of efficient collection system for household waste and large waste

Establishment of a meticulous cleaning system by concentrating manpower on back alleys and cleaning-vulnerable areas

Strengthening resident monitoring of waste collection through operation of ‘Garbage Surveillance Team’ and ‘Cleanliness Monitoring Group’

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will drastically reform the cleaning administration system to create a pleasant and safe residential environment free of garbage.

To improve residents' quality of life through the establishment of a cleanliness culture, the district plans to supplement previously insufficient areas and enhance the completeness of the cleaning administration system.

Creating a refined city starts with careful attention to small details. People tend to litter easily in dirty surroundings, but not in clean places. This is widely known as the Broken Windows Theory.

The district decided to apply the Broken Windows Theory to the cleaning administration system and reform it drastically. The basic principle is to immediately remove discarded garbage through improvement of an efficient collection system. This will be promoted with a focus on three major areas.

First, the readjustment of collection zones for household waste (volume-based waste, food waste, etc.). Previously, the collection frequency was 3 to 6 times per week, which was insufficient to promptly collect about 79,000 tons of waste annually. Therefore, the district plans to subdivide collection zones and add two more collection and transportation contractors to the existing four.

Also, the collection period for large waste will be shortened from within 7 days to within 3 days. This aims to resolve illegal dumping around large waste caused by delayed collection. The system, which operated with 21 teams of 3 members each, will be improved to 7 teams of 9 members each, appointing 7 team leaders to strengthen team responsibility. This is to prevent collection delays caused by member absences or vacations.

Second, cleaning personnel will be reassigned and concentrated in back alleys and cleaning-vulnerable areas. To maintain cleanliness in back alleys, 410 elderly members will be newly deployed as the ‘Clean Keeper Group’. The existing 81 self-support workers responsible for back alley cleaning will mainly be assigned as a mobile unit to promptly resolve cleaning complaints from residents. Some will be assigned to station areas such as Nowon Station and Sanggye Station and other cleaning blind spots to establish a meticulous cleaning system.

Above all, to eradicate indiscriminate flyer distribution and nighttime illegal dumping occurring in Nowon Station Culture Street, the district deployed public workers (formerly sanitation workers). Since January, a special night duty team of two members has been working from 10 p.m. to midnight daily, and the public workers responsible for the area have advanced their start time from 6 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Lastly, resident monitoring of waste collection and cleaning will be strengthened. The district operates a ‘Garbage Surveillance Team’ and a ‘Cleanliness Monitoring Group’ composed of residents. The Garbage Surveillance Team mainly inspects the collection status of volume-based waste bags by collection and transportation contractors in six zones, while the newly formed Cleanliness Monitoring Group will focus on checking whether large waste is collected within 3 days. When uncollected sites are reported in real time via band chat rooms, collection and enforcement teams are dispatched to handle the situation.

The district was recognized for its systematic cleaning administration by achieving ‘Best’ in the 2021 Seoul City Cleanliness Evaluation and ‘Excellent’ in 2022, maintaining good results for two consecutive years. Going forward, it plans to complete a garbage-free clean city by supplementing the cleaning administration system steadily built since 2018.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “There is a Korean proverb that says you can understand ten things by seeing one. A clean city is directly connected to a safe city for residents,” and added, “We will continue to pay closer attention and create a pleasant and safe street environment until residents are satisfied.”