Provision of Exclusive Waste Vinyl Bags
and Operation of Resource Managers
Yangcheon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced on the 21st that it will strengthen the management of separate disposal of waste vinyl to prepare for the ban on direct landfill of metropolitan area municipal waste in 2026 and to promote waste reduction and resource recycling.
Waste vinyl is a recyclable resource, but it has often been mixed with general waste in volume-based waste bags and incinerated or landfilled. In particular, waste vinyl generated from commercial facilities is more than twice as much as that from households, including raw material packaging waste and black vinyl used to cover trash bins.
Accordingly, this year the district will focus on promoting the establishment of separate disposal of waste vinyl mainly in commercial facilities such as convenience stores and restaurants. First, when purchasing a general volume-based waste bag (50L) bundle (10 bags), three self-produced ‘waste vinyl exclusive bags’ are included in the package so that the exclusive bags can be used free of charge. The waste vinyl exclusive bags were produced with a focus on improving awareness of separate disposal and specify the items that can be separately disposed of.
Vinyl types that can be separately disposed of include snack and coffee packaging vinyl, colored vinyl, vinyl gloves, PET bottle labels, air caps, vinyl with stickers, and thermal insulation/cooling packs. Small vinyl items such as medicine pouches, triangular kimbap and straw packaging, and onion nets are also included in the separate disposal items. However, wrap used for food packaging in supermarkets is not recyclable.
In addition, the district operates ‘waste vinyl separate disposal resource managers’ for close contact promotion and guidance with residents. Resource managers, composed of Yangcheon-gu companion jobs and local community jobs, visit stores to inspect the status of waste vinyl separate disposal and provide guidance on disposal methods. Also, areas with a high concentration of businesses that generate large amounts of waste vinyl, such as station areas, downtowns, and markets, are designated as intensive management zones, where inspection teams composed of illegal dumping crackdown squads and resource managers will inspect and guide the sites at least once a month.
Meanwhile, since July last year, the district has distributed 300,000 waste vinyl exclusive bags to about 10,000 stores including convenience stores and conducted promotional activities for separate disposal of waste vinyl through resource managers. As a result, the recycling rate of waste vinyl increased by 14.5% in the second half of the year compared to the first half, showing visible results.
Mayor Lee Gi-jae said, "We ask for the active cooperation of residents so that the separate disposal of waste vinyl can be stably established," and added, "We will continue to strive to practice carbon neutrality through resource recycling and create a pleasant urban environment."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
