Seoul City to Reduce Daily Volume-Based Waste by 450 Tons by 2026

Urgent Need to Reduce Waste Ahead of 'Ban on Direct Landfilling of Municipal Waste'
Strengthening Industrial Waste Treatment, Recycling Textile Fabrics
52t Reduction Achieved Through Separate Collection of Recyclable Resources

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to reduce the volume-based waste to a maximum of 450 tons per day by 2026. This decision comes from the urgent need to cut down waste ahead of the ban on direct landfill of municipal waste, and noticeable reduction effects have been confirmed for volume-based waste this year.

According to Seoul City on the 13th, from January to August this year, volume-based waste was reduced by about 190 tons per day through strengthened on-site treatment of business waste (136 tons/day) and expanded separate collection of recyclable resources such as textile scraps and coffee grounds (52.2 tons/day). This accounts for about 42% of the 450 tons per day target set ahead of the implementation of the 'ban on direct landfill of municipal waste in the metropolitan area' scheduled for 2026, just over a year away.

In particular, a total reduction of 136 tons per day was achieved through strengthened on-site treatment of business waste and expanded recycling of non-combustible waste. By conducting joint inspections between the city and district offices to discover additional business sites, waste that was previously processed publicly was converted to on-site treatment, successfully reducing volume-based waste by 91 tons per day.

Additionally, businesses that generate more than 300 kg of waste per day are required to treat waste on-site. However, Seoul City identified 332 establishments this year that were in management blind spots due to nighttime disposal characteristics, such as disposing of volume-based waste bags and public incineration. Among non-combustible waste such as ceramics, flat glass, and tiles, which had 67 tons per day landfilled, about 45 tons per day were converted to entrusted processing by recycling companies, thereby expanding 'non-combustible waste recycling.'

Textile scraps, which are subject to separate collection but had 84 tons per day generated last year, saw 61% (52 tons) disposed of in volume-based waste bags and incinerated or landfilled. Of this, 51 tons per day, accounting for 99% of the daily incineration and landfill volume (52 tons/day), were converted to recycling. Recycling of coffee grounds, which are recyclable but had been discarded in volume-based waste bags due to lack of a collection system, also increased by about 1.2 tons per day compared to the previous year.

Seoul City plans to continue the 'Zero Waste Project' focusing on reducing disposable cups and containers. After distributing reusable containers at the Seoul Medical Center funeral hall last year, the program expanded this year to other municipal hospitals such as Dongbu Hospital and Boramae Hospital. In July, reusable containers were introduced at the 'Samsung Seoul Hospital Funeral Hall,' the first tertiary general hospital to do so.

The delivery reusable container service area expanded from 10 districts including Yongsan-gu last year to 15 districts including Gangseo and Yeongdeungpo this year. By installing a 'delivery reusable container return box' in Ttukseom Hangang Park, the city achieved a reduction of 220,000 disposable delivery containers by September. Additionally, 38 food and beverage stores within Jamsil Baseball Stadium participated in using reusable containers, and through electronic billboard displays and SNS events, 570,000 disposable containers were reduced. Next year, reusable containers are planned to be introduced at Gocheok Stadium as well.

Yeo Jang-kwon, head of Seoul City's Climate and Environment Headquarters, stated, "With the implementation of the ban on direct landfill of municipal waste just over a year away, efforts to reduce volume-based waste are urgently needed. No one can be free from the damage caused by municipal waste, so I earnestly ask for the practical actions and participation of citizens to reduce volume-based waste."