"Mapo-gu Seniors Are Here"... 'Our Neighborhood Environmental Guardians' Patrol the Area to Maintain Cleanliness

110 Seniors Aged 65 and Older Selected as Environmental Guardians from February to November
Each Pair Assigned to 3-4 Environmentally Vulnerable Areas per Neighborhood
Carrying Out Environmental Cleanup and Patrol Activities

Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) is promoting the ‘Our Neighborhood Environmental Guardians’ project from February to November to guarantee practical wages for seniors seeking jobs and to maintain a clean local living environment.

‘Our Neighborhood Environmental Guardians’ is a project introduced by Mapo-gu in 2023 to support a healthy and vibrant old age for seniors. This year, Mapo-gu selected 110 seniors aged 65 and older within the district to serve as ‘Our Neighborhood Environmental Guardians.’

The seniors selected as Environmental Guardians will work five days a week, three hours a day, receiving a monthly wage of approximately 760,000 KRW. For safety, the Environmental Guardian activities are conducted in pairs. Each pair is responsible for 3 to 4 environmentally vulnerable areas per neighborhood, including areas densely populated with one-room apartments and houses, commercial districts, and habitual illegal dumping zones.

The main activities of the Environmental Guardians include patrolling and educating in habitual illegal dumping areas, collecting coffee grounds and milk cartons, cleaning alleyways, removing illegal flyers, creating green spaces in gaps and improving scenery, maintaining rainwater drains, and patrolling safety-vulnerable zones.

Last year, seniors who worked as Environmental Guardians regularly patrolled their assigned areas for illegal dumping. During the rainy season, they played a significant role in preventing damage caused by summer rains by maintaining rainwater drains and waterways.

They also collected coffee grounds from coffee shops to produce about 7,800 eco-friendly deodorants, some of which were composted. Additionally, the collected milk cartons were exchanged for 644 rolls of toilet paper, which were donated to neighbors in need through the Mapo Welfare Foundation, bringing warmth to the local community.

Mapo-gu plans to enhance the quality of the ‘Our Neighborhood Environmental Guardians’ project by providing regular training to ensure the Environmental Guardians can work safely and by conducting periodic inspections to prevent accidents.

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Since this project involves seniors, we are doing our best to enable economic activities within their living radius,” adding, “Mapo-gu will continue to implement various welfare projects so that seniors can live happily and maintain a healthy life.”