Yeongdeungpo-gu, Large-Scale Cleanup of Fallen Leaves and Ginkgo Fruits to Create a Safe Living Environment

Designated Intensive Cleaning Week from November 25 to 29... Full Effort to Prevent Flood Damage and Ensure Pedestrian Safety
Placement of Professional Groups in 18 Areas with Heavy Fallen Leaves... Spreading Resident-Led Cleaning Culture
Operation of ‘Eunhaengnamu Fruit Harvest Task Force’... Reducing Odor and Proactively Removing Pedestrian Hazards

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it will conduct a “Big Cleanup of Fallen Leaves and Ginkgo Fruits” together with residents to prevent flood damage and ensure pedestrian safety during the autumn season.

Fallen leaves accumulated along roadsides and around storm drains not only cause pedestrian safety accidents but also block drainage channels due to strong autumn winds and heavy, concentrated autumn rains, increasing the risk of flooding. If not cleared in time, they can also become a major cause of fires during the winter season. The ginkgo fruits, which signal the short autumn season, cause inconvenience to residents due to their foul odor and other issues.

Accordingly, the district has designated November 25 to 29 as the intensive cleaning week and will carry out a large-scale cleanup throughout all 18 neighborhoods to prevent autumn safety accidents and alleviate residents’ inconveniences.

This cleanup event was prepared to spread a “voluntary cleaning culture where residents directly participate and lead.” The district prioritizes cleaning in sections where large amounts of fallen leaves and ginkgo fruits occur and where high pedestrian traffic affects safety. Additionally, professional organizations will be assigned to each neighborhood section to conduct efficient and systematic cleaning activities.

In particular, District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon will personally participate in this cleanup to join efforts in creating a safe and pleasant community. On the 25th, Mayor Choi visited Dangsan 2-dong and spent time communicating with members of professional organizations and local residents while focusing on collecting fallen leaves and ginkgo fruits around schools, apartments, and sports facilities. He plans to join the cleanup with residents of Dorim-dong on the 27th.

The district has also prepared measures to reduce the foul odor of ginkgo fruits, which are considered an unwelcome guest in autumn. The “Ginkgo Fruit Harvesting Task Force,” operating since last September, proactively collects the fruits before they ripen to suppress odor generation. Considering that ginkgo fruits ripen at different times and are difficult to harvest all at once, the district manages the process systematically by dividing the sections and periods.

In the future, the district plans to actively utilize “eco-friendly street sweepers” with strong suction power to create a pleasant street environment and improve working conditions by reducing the labor intensity of environmental officers.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “This big cleanup will be a meaningful activity in creating a safe and pleasant community together with residents,” and added, “We will continue efforts to minimize residents’ inconveniences and improve living environments. We also hope residents actively participate in protecting the community by cleaning fallen leaves in front of their homes and stores themselves.”