Gwangjin-gu, Disposal of Expired Medicines Possible via Mailbox

Gwangjin-gu, Difficult-to-Dispose Medicines... Now Dispose of Waste Pharmaceuticals in Mailboxes!

From this month, waste pharmaceuticals can be disposed of in general mailboxes along with dedicated collection boxes

Dispose anytime in 24 mailboxes within the district... Postal workers assist with safe disposal

Receive collection bags at community service centers or seal in regular envelopes for disposal

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) has expanded collection locations to allow disposal of leftover waste pharmaceuticals from households in mailboxes.

Previously, chemical waste pharmaceuticals could only be disposed of in dedicated collection boxes. Gwangjin-gu has 31 collection boxes mainly in public institutions, but usage was low due to spatial and temporal constraints.

Accordingly, an improvement was made to allow disposal of waste pharmaceuticals in general mailboxes. In cooperation with Seoul City and the Korea Post Headquarters, convenience was enhanced by enabling disposal anytime in 24 mailboxes located within the district.

The disposal method is to receive a dedicated collection bag at the community service center, seal the waste pharmaceuticals inside, and dispose of them, or write "waste pharmaceuticals" on a regular envelope and place it in the mailbox. However, liquid medicines must still be disposed of in dedicated collection boxes as before.

Discarded medicines are collected by postal workers, transported to storage facilities, and ultimately safely incinerated at disposal sites.

Postage fees are billed postpaid; during the pilot operation period this year, the Korea Post Public Welfare Foundation covers the cost, and from next year, the district office will provide support.

Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said, “We have started operating mailbox collection boxes to help proper separation and disposal of waste pharmaceuticals,” and added, “We hope residents will participate in this small environmental protection effort by using nearby mailboxes.”

Information on waste pharmaceutical collection boxes in Gwangjin-gu can be found on the ‘Smart Seoul Map’, and mailbox locations are available on the Korea Post Headquarters website under ‘Find Our Neighborhood Mailbox’.