Songpa-gu Achieves First Place in Seoul for Recycling Performance and Ranks First Nationwide

December 3rd 'Recyclable Resource Separation Contest' Award Ceremony... Songpa-gu Ranks 1st Nationwide
Also 1st Among 25 Districts in 'Seoul City Recycling Performance Evaluation'
Songpa-gu Proves Excellence in Recycling Projects, Leading Sustainable Development

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) was selected as the nationwide first place, receiving the Minister of Environment Commendation at the awards ceremony of the ‘2024 Recyclable Resource Separate Collection Contest’ held on the 3rd at EL Tower in Yangjae-dong, Seoul.

The ‘Recyclable Resource Separate Collection Contest’ is hosted by the Korea Packaging Recycling Business Cooperative and sponsored by the Ministry of Environment. Among the basic local governments nationwide, the best institution is chosen through document evaluation and on-site evaluation for those that have efficiently established and operated resource circulation systems.

In this contest, the district was recognized for its excellence in operating the separate collection and collection system, contributing to securing high-quality resources.

In particular, it was highly evaluated for its efforts in self-inspection of separate collection implementation status, resident publicity, and member participation.

Representative projects include ▲establishing a comprehensive plan for recycling work and operating a dedicated organization in charge of separate collection ▲building a resource circulation system for recycling processing ▲direct compensation system for paper packs ▲operating an eco-friendly resource circulation exhibition hall and a visiting recycling separate collection classroom.

Also, since the beginning of the 8th term of the elected government, the district has worked hard to promote recycling policies that actively reflect changes in the times and residents’ needs. These include producing combined products with exclusive bags for waste vinyl, installing AI recycling sorting robots, implementing a mobile app for large waste, and recycling waste sewing fabric. By incorporating creative ideas into projects, it received high praise from the evaluation team as an excellent case among local governments.

Earlier, the district also ranked first in the ‘Seoul City Recycling Performance Evaluation’ held on the 1st of last month. This award system evaluates 17 items across 6 indicators such as waste reduction, recycling expansion, and separate collection expansion. Despite the increase in the number of coffee shops, the district achieved results such as reducing waste emissions through coffee grounds collection and recycling, and increasing the vinyl sorting and selection rate by 26% compared to the previous year.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “Following the first place in the Seoul City Recycling Performance Evaluation, being selected as the nationwide first place this time recognized the excellence of Songpa-gu’s recycling projects. We will continue to discover projects that consider both the environment and residents’ quality of life and take the lead in sustainable development.”

Collected Can Cube