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Seoul set for 1st by recycling 100% of presidential election banners

Published: 12 Jun. 2025, 15:39 Updated: 12 Jun. 2025, 20:04

A view of Seoul’s banner waste collection center in Yongdap-dong, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. About 40 tons of discarded banners are expected to be processed and recycled at the site annually. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will recycle 100 percent of the discarded banners used during the 21st presidential election campaign season — a significant leap from the previous 30 percent.

On Thursday, city officials said they had already collected a total of 7.3 metric tons of discarded banners following the election.

Of that, 2.7 tons will be processed as raw material for nonwoven fabric at the city’s new dedicated collection site in Yongdap-dong, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul.

Last month, Seoul opened the nation’s first centralized “banner collection site” at the Jungnang Water Reclamation Center. The 1,661-cubic-meter (2,173-cubic-yard) facility has the capacity to store up to 10 tons of banner waste and will serve as a central hub for managing the large quantities of material that accumulate during election cycles.

An official takes down presidential campaign banners in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on June 4 following the end of the election. [YONHAP]

Until now, all 25 autonomous districts in Seoul managed banner disposal independently. But many lacked the proper infrastructure, according to city officials.

"This year, 14 districts will participate in the centralized recycling system," said an official from the city government. "The remaining 11 districts will continue to use their own facilities."

Of the 7.3 tons of banner waste collected after the election, 2.7 tons will be recycled directly at the shared site, while the remaining 4.6 tons will be handled by individual districts.

About 40 tons of discarded banners are expected to be processed and recycled annually at Seoul’s banner waste collection center in Yongdap-dong, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

The city plans to continue repurposing banner waste into nonwoven fabric — a type of material widely used in industrial applications — through material recycling, a process that extracts reusable components from plastic and similar synthetic waste.

Seoul expects to receive about 40 tons of discarded banners at the facility over the course of the year.

To expand recycling efforts, the city also plans to support one-on-one partnerships between district governments and private companies, including chemical firms and upcycling businesses. In addition, officials are developing a standardized “banner recycling manual” to unify collection and processing systems across districts.

In addition to streamlining collection and recycling systems, the city also aims to broaden the scope of banner reuse by strengthening collaboration with private companies.

Presidential campaign banners are hung near a community center in Seongbuk District, northern Seoul, on June 2. [NEWS1]

Kwon Min, head of the city’s climate and environment bureau, emphasized the long-term goals of the program.

“We’re turning what used to be overlooked and poorly managed waste into a key resource through material recycling for a circular economy,” Kwon said. “We’ll continue identifying and expanding recyclable waste streams in daily life to build a sustainable resource recovery model.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE SOO-KI [[email protected]]