Promotion of Paper Pack Exhibitions and Proper Waste Separation
On December 3, Jeonju City in Jeollabuk-do operated the "Visiting Sterile Pack Promotion Center" at the City Hall Lobby Book Pillar Library in collaboration with the Korea Sterile Pack Recycling Association.
The promotion center was organized to help visitors understand the importance of separating paper packs for recycling. It featured exhibitions of paper packs (both regular and sterile packs), information on proper waste separation, displays of recycled items made from paper packs, and hands-on activities such as making wallets from sterile packs.
Jeonju City, Jeollabuk-do, operated a "Visiting Aseptic Pack Promotion Center" on the 3rd at the City Hall lobby book pillar library in collaboration with the Korea Aseptic Pack Recycling Association. Photo by Jeonju City
Paper packs require a different recycling process from regular wastepaper and must be disposed of separately. However, in practice, they are often mixed with other types of paper during disposal, which significantly reduces their recycling value.
In response, the city used this promotion center to raise awareness about these issues among citizens and to provide detailed guidance on practical methods for waste separation that can be implemented in daily life.
The Korea Sterile Pack Recycling Association, which co-hosted the event, was established in 2021 with the aim of improving and expanding public awareness of sterile pack recycling, developing recycling policies and distributing new technologies, promoting the collection and recycling of sterile packs, fostering the growth and advancement of the sterile pack recycling industry while preserving the environment, and contributing to the improvement of quality of life for the public.
In November 2023, Jeonju City signed a "business agreement for establishing a paper pack resource circulation system" with the Korea Sterile Pack Recycling Association. Since then, the city has actively worked to increase the recycling rate of paper packs by installing dedicated collection bins in apartment complexes and promoting proper waste separation.
As a result, over the two years of 2023 and 2024, a total of 815 paper pack collection bins were installed in 162 apartment complexes. The amount of paper packs collected has also steadily increased, from about 20 tons in 2023 to 40.1 tons last year, and 74 tons this year.
The city is currently implementing the "2025 Apartment Paper Pack Collection Bin Installation Support Project" with support from the Korea Sterile Pack Recycling Association, which has provided 350 dedicated collection bins worth 30 million won. Apartment complexes interested in participating can refer to the notice posted on the Jeonju City website to apply.
Additionally, this year the city established the "Ordinance on Promoting Separate Collection of Paper Packs in Jeonju City," laying the administrative and financial foundation for promoting resource circulation through the separate collection of paper packs and encouraging citizen participation in building a resource-circulating society.
Lee Youngseop, Director of the Resource Circulation and Greenery Bureau of Jeonju City, stated, "If paper packs are rinsed clean, unfolded, dried, and then disposed of separately, they can be reborn as high-quality recycled resources. Through this event, I hope many citizens will recognize the importance of separating paper packs for recycling, and active participation and practice by citizens are essential to promote recycling."
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