Busan Office of Education, Complete Disposal of Mercury-Containing Waste from Schools and Institutions

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education will dispose of all mercury-containing waste stored in schools and institutions within the district starting from the 6th.

Busan Office of Education announced on the 3rd that it will begin disposing of waste at 67 locations, including Daegyo Elementary School, and over the course of three weeks, it will process all 9,130 mercury-containing waste items stored at 511 schools and directly affiliated institutions within the district.

Busan Office of Education.

To create a safe science experiment environment free from mercury leaks, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education signed a service contract with a mercury disposal company in January, allocating a budget of 900 million KRW.

Additionally, to prevent leakage accidents during waste collection by the company, the office separately established disposal schedules and storage and management guidelines, which were communicated to the respective schools.

In particular, to prevent safety accidents during waste collection, only the disposal company is allowed to participate in the work at the waste storage sites, and students and staff members are strictly advised not to be involved in the process.

Han Jong-hwan, Director of the Digital Future Education Division at the Busan Office of Education, stated, “This measure will greatly help in creating a safe science experiment environment and revitalizing school science experiment classes.”