The number of trash cans in Seoul was 7,607 in 1995 before the government started to remove them from the streets, and by 2007, it was halved to 3,707. (image: Ed Yourdon/flickr)
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Garbage cans in Seoul have disappeared from the streets since the implementation of the volume-based waste disposal scheme in 1995, but now the city government looks to re-install them for the first time in 20 years. Only this time, however, the cans will be movable ones.
An official in the Seoul City government said on July 31, “We have officially requested for two types of sample design for new portable trash cans. After two evaluation sessions, we plan to install them in early next year. This is the first time for the city government to plan to distribute trash cans since we have removed a significant number of them in 1995.”
The current prototypes that made the candidates are the one that KAIST, the state-run science and engineering research think tank, developed with polyethylene in a big-jar shape, and the one chosen from design entries by citizens. The manufacturing costs will be about 100,000 to 130,000 won (about US$100 to $120), and 200,000 won (about $US200) each. The city plans to allocate about 100 million won (about US$96,000) for the budget and to distribute a total of approximately 1,000 and 1,500 cans in all of the 25 districts of Seoul.
The number of trash cans in Seoul was 7,607 in 1995 before the government started to remove them from the streets, and by 2007, it was halved to 3,707. But recently several of them had been added in the tourist areas of Seoul to make the number to 4,476, and by next year, it will be over 6,000, according to the city’s plan.
The city said that there have been increases in recyclable garbage in the streets such as take-out coffee cups and their tops, cans and plastic bags and thus, there needs to be more garbage cans. There has also been quite a number of complaints from foreigners that there are not enough trash cans on the streets.
On the other hand, the several foldable trash cans that have been recently installed in tourist sites such as Myeong-dong and Insa-dong have gathered some negative opinions that they do not help the aesthetic side of the areas. There are also protests from store managers with those trash cans in front of their stores.
The official said, “Portable trash cans are necessary since there are complaints keep streaming from stores and residents not to install trash cans in their store front and doorsteps. Especially, portable trash cans have an advantage over the immovable ones that they can be deployed in places where relatively more garbage is produced.”
By J. H. Kim (jhkim@koreabizwire.com)
