Jongno-gu to distribute free bags for waste fabric scraps

Jongno-gu announced Thursday that it will launch a project to distribute free dedicated collection bags for waste fabric scraps generated by clothing and garment businesses in the district, starting this month, to boost recycling rates and promote proper waste-sorting practices.

The project aims to make it easier for garment businesses to dispose of fabric scraps and to prevent scraps from being mixed with general household waste or dumped illegally.

The district is home to roughly 1,600 clothing and garment-related businesses across 17 neighborhoods, with the Changsin-dong garment alley being the most prominent. The alley took shape in the late 1970s when garment factories that had clustered around Cheonggyecheon in the 1960s relocated there, and it has since served as a key production base for the Dongdaemun clothing market.

The nature of the garment industry means fabric offcuts are continuously generated during the cutting process. The volume of waste fabric collected in Jongno-gu rose from about 2,200 tons in 2024 to 3,000 tons in 2025. In response, the district introduced the dedicated bag program to reduce cases where recyclable fabric is processed together with general waste.

The district plans to finalize the list of eligible businesses from among those that have pre-registered this month and distribute 100 bags each, sized at 50 liters, per business. A named-discharge system will also run alongside the program, encouraging businesses to take responsibility for sorting and disposing of their own waste.

"Waste fabric scraps are a valuable resource that can be reused if sorted and disposed of properly," district Mayor Yoo Chan-jong said. "Through the dedicated bag support and the named-discharge system, we will build an even stronger foundation for Jongno-style resource circulation."