Yongsan-gu Partners with Cheonil Energy to Recycle Coffee Grounds into Eco-Friendly Biofuel

Application and Collection via Mobile App
Free Collection Service for Coffee Shops and More

Starting this month, Yongsan-gu in Seoul will launch a project to separately collect coffee grounds generated from local coffee shops and recycle them into eco-friendly biofuel.

This initiative is part of a resource circulation policy aimed at proactively responding to the ban on direct landfilling of municipal solid waste in the Seoul metropolitan area, which will take effect next year. It reflects the growing importance of separating recyclable resources, such as coffee grounds, from municipal waste for proper processing.

Until now, coffee grounds had been classified as municipal waste and incinerated in their entirety. However, the district has signed a business agreement with the renewable energy company Cheonil Energy Co., Ltd. (CEO Park Sangwon) to establish a system for collecting coffee grounds from local coffee shops and similar businesses.

The project will be managed through the mobile application 'Jiguhada', providing an integrated system for reporting disposal, free collection, and recycling. Coffee shops wishing to participate can apply for collection through the app and place their coffee grounds in front of their stores the day before the scheduled pickup date.

When disposing of coffee grounds, participants can use a designated collection bag or a regular plastic bag clearly labeled with the store's name. The designated collection bags will be distributed to the first 300 locations on a first-come, first-served basis. On the collection day, staff will visit each store to collect all coffee grounds, which will then be stored and processed into solid fuel for recycling.

Yongsan-gu stated, "Through coffee grounds recycling, the administration can reduce processing costs, businesses can save on pay-as-you-throw garbage bag expenses, and companies can secure a stable supply of biofuel raw materials, thereby realizing a win-win model for all three parties." The district added, "This initiative will reduce environmental costs associated with the landfilling and incineration of coffee grounds, and contribute to reducing household waste and greenhouse gas emissions."

Park Heeyoung, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, "The coffee grounds recycling project is a regionally based, eco-friendly circular economy model created through the collaboration of small business owners, companies, and the local government." She added, "We will continue to actively develop sustainable resource circulation policies and take the lead in reducing municipal waste."

For detailed inquiries about participating in the project, contact the Yongsan-gu Office Cleaning Administration Division at 02-2199-7314. For questions regarding disposal and collection, contact Jiguhada at 1660-3114.