Jongno-gu uses AI to help residents find garbage bag vendors

Finding a designated garbage bag vendor or checking how to dispose of household waste is about to get much easier for residents of Jongno-gu.

The Seoul district has launched an AI-powered lifestyle administrative service that understands residents' questions in natural language and directs them to nearby vendors and waste disposal information.

Jongno-gu said this month it began a pilot operation of an AI natural-language and voice search function added to the garbage bag vendor location search service on the district office website.

Previously, residents had to manually select search conditions such as neighborhood and bag type. Now they can simply ask a question in everyday language and the AI analyzes the conditions to find a suitable vendor.

For example, a user can type or ask aloud, "Where is the nearest place selling 1-liter food waste bags near me?" and the service will return the vendor's location. Searches by store name as well as by legal and administrative neighborhood are also supported.

A multilingual feature for foreign residents and visitors is another highlight. The service supports text and voice searches in six languages — Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai — and is expected to ease the difficulties foreign residents have faced in accessing household waste disposal information due to language barriers.

The service goes beyond simple vendor searches to cover household waste information more broadly. Users can look up fees by item for bulk household waste disposal, navigate directly to the disposal application page, and check recycling guidelines by item category.

The service is accessible through the district office website by navigating to "Lifestyle Information → Environment/Cleaning → General Waste Disposal → Bag Vendor Status → Search for Vendors," or by selecting "Find a Garbage Bag Vendor in My Neighborhood" on the Jongno Pick app. It is also available through the "Bag Vendor" menu on the KakaoTalk channel "Jongno Cleaning Encyclopedia."

During the pilot period, the district plans to assess system stability and usability, and to analyze the types of questions residents ask, their search patterns, and usage by vendor and item category in order to refine the service. Frequently recurring questions will also inform improvements to waste management administration. The full launch is scheduled for January 2027.

The district is also stepping up waste disposal guidance for foreign residents. Last month, it produced multilingual information materials to reduce cases of illegal dumping by foreign residents who were unaware of collection days and proper disposal methods, and distributed them to community service centers and the Jongno-gu Family Center.

The guides, produced in Korean, English and Chinese, include illustrations covering disposal locations and times, recycling methods by item, how to distinguish food waste from general waste, and procedures for reporting discarded appliances and bulk waste. They also note that residents who fail to use designated garbage bags or mix waste improperly may face fines of up to 1 million won ($748).

The initiative aligns with recommendations issued by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission to local governments on improving convenience and equity in household waste disposal. The district's effort is notable for going beyond strengthening online bulk waste reporting and payment systems and multilingual guidance for foreign residents, incorporating AI search technology to improve accessibility for all.

"We wanted to start by using AI technology to address the everyday inconvenience of finding garbage bag vendors," District Mayor Yoo Chan-jong said. "Going forward, we will continue to pay close attention to the information residents are genuinely curious about and frequently seek out, and expand lifestyle-oriented administrative services that anyone can use easily and conveniently."