Songpa-gu Spring Cleaning...Including Cigarette Butts in the Drains

Eco-friendly Road Surface Sweeper Demonstration

Spring Cleaning Throughout March... Full Deployment of Cleaning Vehicles and Personnel to Remove Fine Dust and Stubborn Dirt

March 21 Designated as Spring Cleaning Day, Large-Scale Joint Cleaning by District Office and Resident Centers

Special Cleaning of High-Traffic Facilities and Vulnerable Areas, Pilot Operation of Eco-Friendly Street Sweepers to Create Pleasant Streets

Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced that it will conduct a ‘Special Spring Cleaning’ throughout March to remove fine dust and accumulated grime in preparation for spring.

This cleaning campaign involves about 3,000 residents including functional groups from resident centers, community leaders, autonomous alley cleaning organizations, local merchants, and public officials, covering all 27 neighborhoods in the district.

First, focusing on multi-use facilities and vulnerable areas by neighborhood, a total of cleaning vehicles including 6 water cleaning trucks, 8 dust suction trucks, 7 street surface cleaning trucks, and 5 small street cleaning vehicles will be mobilized to clean the roads and make every effort to remove fine dust.

Additionally, various facilities such as bus stops, subway entrances, taxi stands, and information signs will be washed with water to wipe away dust accumulated over the winter.

This year, a pilot operation of one ‘eco-friendly street sweeper’?effective for cleaning narrow alleys where large cleaning vehicles cannot enter?will be conducted to create clean streets in every corner. Using an electrically powered street sweeper that is easy to pull, the campaign will remove illegally dumped waste, cigarette butts stuck in rainwater drains, and illegal flyers in dense areas such as alleys, commercial districts, and restaurants, thereby enhancing the city’s cleanliness. (Photo)

In particular, March 21 is designated as ‘Spring Cleaning Day,’ during which the district office and each resident center will conduct large-scale cleaning activities.

For this purpose, a section of Pungnap-dong has been selected as a pilot area for ‘Spring Cleaning Day.’ Residents of Pungnap-dong and environmental officers will engage in activities such as removing illegally dumped waste, cleaning sidewalks, and removing advertisements from utility poles. Water cleaning will be carried out using sidewalk sprinklers and small street cleaning vehicles to thoroughly clean sidewalks, roads, and back alleys.

Furthermore, besides the pilot neighborhood, the other 26 resident centers will also conduct cleaning. They will focus on areas vulnerable to illegal dumping, school surroundings, and parks, conducting cleaning activities with various residents including functional groups, elderly alley guardians, and autonomous alley cleaning teams.

The district plans to designate the fourth Wednesday of every month as Clean Day starting with this spring cleaning, encouraging residents’ voluntary participation in cleaning and conducting water cleaning of surrounding roads and street facilities.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, emphasized that “cleanliness is the top priority in urban administration,” and stated, “Through this cleaning campaign, we will remove the accumulated grime from winter to create clean streets and spare no support to foster a pleasant urban environment.”

O Eon-seok, Dobong-gu Mayor (left), is cleaning trash accumulated in a rainwater drain on the 2nd.

Dobong-gu to Conduct Spring Cleaning on March 22

District Mayor and Residents of Ssangmun 3-dong and Chang 1-dong to Participate in Special Cleaning

Voluntary Cleaning in Front of Homes and Businesses (Workplaces) by Traditional Markets, Related Organizations, Local Residents, Companies, and Schools

Focused Cleaning of Roads, Major Facilities, Riverbanks, and Green Areas

Dobong-gu (District Mayor Oh Eon-seok) will conduct a district-wide spring cleaning on March 22 with about 1,500 participants including residents, related organizations, environmental officers, and public officials to remove accumulated grime from winter and help residents welcome the new spring with a fresh spirit.

On the cleaning day, 14 resident centers will designate cleaning sections focusing on back alleys and habitual illegal dumping areas, and together with district office staff and residents, will carry out thorough cleaning including waste collection in every corner.

Especially around Ssangmun Station, where foot traffic is heavy and residual waste accumulates, the district mayor and residents of Ssangmun 3-dong and Chang 1-dong will clean the station surroundings and streets, removing waste such as cigarette butts accumulated in rainwater drains.

Additionally, voluntary cleaning in front of homes and businesses (workplaces) will be encouraged in traditional markets, schools, apartments, related organizations, and companies to participate in the spring cleaning by collecting surrounding waste.

Moreover, the Dobong-gu Resource Circulation Division will mobilize 4 street cleaning vehicles, 5 water cleaning vehicles, and 4 dust suction vehicles to wash and clean roadsides to remove sand, soil, waste, and fine dust deposited on major roads. Departments managing major facilities will conduct waste collection and water washing around roads, streets, and traffic facilities throughout March, and carry out cleanliness maintenance such as removing dead trees and dry grass focusing on green spaces and riverbanks.

Oh Eon-seok, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “I hope this cleaning campaign helps residents welcome a vibrant new spring. We will continue to work with residents to make Dobong clean and pleasant by patrolling alleys.”

Dongjak-gu Launches ‘Sseudam Running’ in Habitual Illegal Dumping Areas

Exercise and Protect the Environment!... Plogging with Residents Until November

Dongjak-gu (District Mayor Park Il-ha) announced on the 17th that it will promote the illegal dumping prevention campaign ‘Sseudam Running (plogging)’ together with residents.

This event, themed ‘Today is Plogging Day!!’, was organized to collect illegally dumped waste and create a clean urban environment.

The campaign will be held seven times until November this year, with about 60 participants each time including university students, residents, and public officials who will exercise while picking up trash.

Previously, the district designated 80 habitual illegal dumping zones for waste and cigarette butts as ‘Clean Zones’ where Sseudam Running will be conducted.

The first ‘Sseudam Running’ will take place on the 28th from 3:30 PM in areas with habitual illegal dumping such as alleys, side streets, and traditional markets in Sangdo 1-dong.

University students wishing to participate can apply through clubs (Soongsil Leadership Student Association), and volunteer hours will be recognized through activity time certification.

Park Il-ha, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, said, “I hope many people show interest in Sseudam Running, which raises awareness of the importance of the environment and promotes health. We will continue to discover various events involving residents to solve local issues.”

Coffee grounds collected at Gwanak-gu Clean Center

Gwanak-gu Leads Coffee Grounds Collection Efforts

Expanded from 16 Large Coffee Shops to 100 Locations Around Subway Stations

Collaborating with Local Self-Sufficiency Center to Expand Coffee Grounds Collection and Promote Recycling into Eco-Friendly Fertilizer

Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) is taking the lead in resource circulation and carbon neutrality by collecting coffee grounds (hereafter ‘coffee grounds’).

Since 2018, the district has been collecting coffee grounds, which are mostly discarded as household waste at coffee shops in the area, free of charge and recycled a total of 38.9 tons into fertilizer by last year.

Coffee grounds have a unique coffee aroma and unlike typical livestock manure-based fertilizers, they do not emit unpleasant odors and contain no heavy metals or impurities, making them high-quality eco-friendly fertilizer.

Previously, the district directly designated 16 large-scale coffee shops within the district for collection, but starting this year, to expand coffee grounds collection, the Gwanak Bongcheon Self-Sufficiency Center has been appointed as the collection agency, and the collection target has been expanded to 100 coffee shops around subway stations.

Coffee shops are asked to place coffee grounds in transparent bags between 6 PM and midnight on Mondays and Thursdays, and workers from the Gwanak Bongcheon Self-Sufficiency Center will visit and collect them free of charge every Tuesday and Friday from 9 AM to 1 PM.

By designating the local self-sufficiency organization ‘Gwanak Bongcheon Self-Sufficiency Center’ as the coffee grounds collection agency, it is expected to contribute to the independence and job creation of low-income groups.

A district official said, “Recycling the increasing amount of coffee grounds generated by the growing coffee culture into eco-friendly fertilizer can help reduce household waste. We will continue to do our best to promote recycling through new projects.”