"Encouraging the Separate Disposal of Recyclables"
...A Total of Five Machines in Operation
Wanju County in North Jeolla Province has installed two additional unmanned transparent PET bottle collection machines to improve the collection rate of transparent PET bottles and to encourage the separate disposal of recyclables.
According to the county on July 1, the new installation sites are Wanju County Central Library in Yongjin-eup and Iseo Culture and Sports Center in Iseo-myeon.
Including the three previously operated locations (Samrye-eup Wanju County Public Health Center, Bongdong-eup Workers' Welfare Center, and Iseo-myeon KongjwiPatjwi Library), the county now operates a total of five unmanned collection machines.
To use the machines, residents enter their mobile phone number, remove the label from each PET bottle, and insert bottles one at a time, with a maximum of 50 bottles per person per day. Ten points are awarded for each bottle, and when a user accumulates 2,000 points or more, the points can be redeemed for cash.
In 2024, the total amount of PET bottles collected by the unmanned machines was 18.4 tons, with an average of 133 users per month. As of May 2024, the amount collected reached 12.7 tons, with an average of 191 users per month, indicating a steady upward trend.
Han Yoonsoo, head of the Resource Circulation Division, stated, "As the transparent PET bottle separation system has been implemented, demand for high-quality plastic recycling is increasing." He also said, "We hope that residents will participate in resource circulation so that the installation of unmanned collection machines can contribute to establishing a proper culture of recyclable separation and to achieving carbon neutrality."
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