Dongdaemun-gu, Jongno, and Seongdong-gu Sign Carbon Neutral Waste Paper Recycling Agreement

Agreement on Establishing Waste Fabric Recycling System between Ministry of Environment and Korea Textile Resource Circulation Association on the 16th
Leftover Fabrics Separated by Material Recycled into Sound Absorbers and Industrial Mats

On the 16th, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Ilhyung Lee) signed a business agreement with the Ministry of Environment, the Korea Textile Resource Circulation Association, and the Jongno and Seongdong districts to establish a 'Waste Fabric Scrap Recycling System.'

Through this agreement, the district will be able to systematically recycle waste fabric scraps.

According to the agreement, sewing companies will separate waste fabrics by material type and place the recyclable fabrics in green bags for disposal.

The green bags are produced by the Korea Textile Resource Circulation Association and distributed free of charge to sewing companies. The separated waste fabrics are then delivered to recycling companies to be reborn as soundproofing materials, industrial mops, and other products.

The district expects that this agreement will reduce the amount of waste fabric previously disposed of by simple landfill or incineration by about 30%, thereby lowering the costs associated with waste fabric disposal.

The Dongdaemun-gu Sewing Association will assist local sewing companies in separating waste fabric scraps by material type, and the district plans to support recycling companies with processing costs to ensure that the disposed fabrics are properly collected, transported, and recycled.

The Ministry of Environment intends to actively cooperate by providing administrative support and improving related systems to ensure the smooth operation of the waste fabric scrap recycling system.

Ilhyung Lee, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, "This agreement, which reduces the disposal cost burden for local sewing companies and recycles fabrics that would otherwise be discarded as household waste to create a 'virtuous cycle of resources,' will greatly contribute to Dongdaemun-gu's progress toward becoming a carbon-neutral city."

Meanwhile, since 2019, the district has been steadily promoting a project to recycle waste fabrics generated by approximately 1,800 sewing companies located in Dongdaemun-gu into solid fuel.