Seoul's Seongbuk-gu, led by District Mayor Lee Seung-ro, has been running a coffee grounds collection and recycling program targeting local cafes since last year. This month, the district is rolling out a new integrated coffee grounds and milk carton collection project, picking up both materials in a single visit to sharply improve resource-recycling efficiency.
Until now, cafes faced significant difficulties sorting their waste because different items were collected under separate systems, and some materials frequently ended up in standard pay-per-bag garbage bags.
By consolidating those collection methods into a single unified system, the district aims to reduce overall waste, maximize recycling rates and build a sustainable resource-circulation structure.
Joining the integrated program is straightforward. Cafes already participating in the existing coffee grounds collection program can simply set out their milk cartons alongside their coffee grounds on their regular collection day — no additional application is required. Cafes wishing to join for the first time should submit a participation application to the Seongbuk-gu Office's Sanitation Administration Division and will be enrolled in sequence according to the district's guidance.
For proper disposal, coffee grounds should be dried to remove moisture before being placed in the designated collection bin. Milk cartons should be rinsed, dried and flattened, then either placed in a transparent bag or tied with string and set out on the regular garbage collection day for the relevant neighborhood.
District Mayor Lee said the project "lays the groundwork for cafes across the district to participate in resource recycling more easily and systematically," and called on local coffee shops to get actively involved in "building Seongbuk into an eco-friendly, resource-circulating city."
For more details on joining the program or on proper disposal procedures, contact the Resource Circulation Team within the Seongbuk-gu Office's Sanitation Administration Division.
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