Integrated Household Waste Collection and Enhanced Back Road Cleaning
Yongsan District Completely Overhauls Cleaning System Starting This Year
On April 30, Yongsan District in Seoul (District Mayor Park Heeyoung) announced that it has significantly improved the living environment for residents through a comprehensive overhaul of its cleaning system, and received high positive evaluations in a resident satisfaction survey. Last year, the district promoted innovation across its cleaning administration based on the results of the 'Cleaning System Reform and Outsourced Cost Calculation Service'.
The district introduced an integrated household waste collection system, consolidating general waste, food waste, bulky household waste, and recyclables into a single system in which a contracted company collects all types at once.
The district strengthened cleaning of back roads by establishing new cleaning teams and regional rapid response teams throughout all back roads in the district, greatly improving cleanliness in alleyways and areas prone to illegal dumping. It also unified street water cleaning and dust suction cleaning under the management of the contracted company, clarifying responsibility and enhancing professionalism.
Additionally, the district designated six major tourist zones?including Itaewon-ro, Yongridan-gil, and Hannam-dong Cafe Street?as key collection areas, establishing a year-round, seven-day-a-week collection system to maintain cleanliness. The district also readjusted cleaning zones based on population and geographical characteristics, increasing the efficiency of waste collection and transportation.
To assess the effectiveness of the cleaning system overhaul, the district conducted a survey from March 25 to April 4 among 524 residents interested in cleaning administration, covering three areas: household waste collection, street cleaning, and back road cleaning.
According to the survey results, 84.06% of respondents answered that they were 'very satisfied' (39.34%) or 'satisfied' (44.72%), and 98.39% gave a response of 'average' or higher.
The main factors cited for the high satisfaction were the reduction in illegal dumping and leftover waste due to the integrated collection system, improvements in alleyway environments thanks to strengthened back road cleaning, and increased cleanliness in major tourist areas.
District Mayor Park Heeyoung stated, "The newly revamped cleaning system, which takes into account the geographical characteristics of Yongsan, such as its narrow alleys and hilly terrain, has been a great help in improving residents' convenience." She added, "We will continue to actively reflect residents' opinions and provide efficient cleaning services that residents can truly experience."
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