Residents can exchange cans, PET bottles, paper cartons or waste vinyl for a 10-liter garbage bag on the spot
Program debuts at dong festivals and community events across 12 neighborhoods in the second half of this year
Songpa-gu in Seoul is launching a mobile recycling instant-reward program this year for the first time, allowing residents to exchange recyclables collected in their daily lives for standard garbage bags at nearby dong festivals and community events.
Even a small amount qualifies — as few as three cans or five PET bottles can be swapped for one 10-liter garbage bag on the spot.
The district has been expanding resident-driven resource-circulation policies in response to the ban on direct landfilling of household waste in the greater Seoul area. The initiative aims to increase the separate disposal of recyclables generated in daily life and reduce the volume of household waste sent to incinerators or landfills.
Earlier, the district launched a "waste vinyl direct-reward program" in March to gauge resident participation. Within five months, 1,746 residents took part, collecting 12,032 kilograms of waste vinyl and receiving 12,032 10-liter garbage bags in return.
The new program expands both the eligible items and the venues. Rather than requiring residents to visit designated drop-off locations such as community centers, the district will bring the program directly to dong festivals and local events where residents already gather. Accepted recyclables have also grown beyond waste vinyl to include four categories of everyday items: cans, PET bottles, paper cartons and waste vinyl.
The exchange thresholds are three cans, five PET bottles (any type), 0.5 kilograms of paper cartons, or 1 kilogram of waste vinyl. Meeting any one of these thresholds earns a standard 10-liter garbage bag on the spot.
The mobile reward program made its debut Sept. 5 at an upcycling market held to mark Resource Circulation Day, and the warm reception continued at subsequent dong festivals. At the Saturday "Intergenerational Family Festa" in Munjeong 2-dong, the entire supply of 10-liter garbage bags was exhausted. Some residents, after learning about the program at the event, returned later with cans and PET bottles they had stored at home.
Encouraged by the response, the district will run the mobile reward program at 12 dong festivals during the second half of this year. The key feature is improved accessibility — residents can drop off recyclables and collect their reward at a nearby community event without having to travel to a separate collection site.
Alongside this, the district will for the first time provide reusable tableware at dong festivals this year. A total of 27 types of reusable items, including bowls, plates, cups and utensils, will be supplied to food stalls at the festivals to cut down on disposable dishware.
Songpa-gu District Mayor Seo Gang-seok said the district had gone directly to where residents are, making it easier for them to practice resource circulation in their everyday lives. "We will continue expanding resource-circulation policies that residents can feel and participate in, so that small everyday actions translate into real reductions in household waste," he said.
Songpa-gu has consistently broadened its resource-circulation policies, including enacting an ordinance in 2024 to reduce single-use item consumption. This year, the district received the grand prize in the public recycling facility category and an encouragement award in the collection and recycling expansion category at the 2025 Seoul Metropolitan Government District Recycling Performance Evaluation, with particular recognition for building a resident participation-based recycling system.
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