Sejong City to Expand Free Collection Service
for Small Waste Home Appliances
Ahead of Full-Scale Ordinance Enforcement
Small home appliance collection site installed in apartment complexes in Sejong City. / Photo by Resource Circulation Division
The customized collection service for small waste home appliances will be expanded and operated until the end of this year. This is being implemented in advance, ahead of the full-scale enforcement of the free disposal system for small waste home appliances starting January 1 next year, in accordance with the partially revised Sejong City Waste Management Ordinance on July 14.
According to Sejong City, it is currently possible to dispose of small waste home appliances for free without a fee sticker if you collect five or more items and request collection. However, due to the inconvenience of applying for collection and lack of awareness about the system, there are still many cases where residents purchase stickers and dispose of items in the traditional way.
To address these issues, the city has decided to more actively promote and expand the customized collection service, which has been in operation since 2022. With the customized collection service, residents do not need to report the specific items or quantities. They simply dispose of small waste home appliances such as microwaves, fans, and vacuum cleaners at designated times and places, and the collection company will visit regularly to collect them.
Currently, about 56% of mandatory management apartment complexes are using the customized collection service. The city plans to actively encourage applications from those complexes that have not yet participated before the system is fully implemented. In addition, the collection service, which is currently operated through eup, myeon, and dong administrative welfare centers, will be expanded to village community centers to improve accessibility for residents.
In September, the city plans to establish a resource circulation system that connects collection to recycling through a business agreement with 'E-Sunhwan Governance', a non-profit public interest corporation approved by the Ministry of Environment, thereby laying the foundation for a sustainable circular city.
Jin Ikho, head of the Resource Circulation Division, said, "The customized collection service is a key system that reduces inconvenience in citizens' daily lives and creates an efficient resource circulation structure. If you apply now, you will be able to dispose of small waste home appliances more conveniently and for free, so we ask for the active interest and participation of all citizens."
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