What happened to Seoul’s not-in-my-backyard syndrome
By Sophia Thomas
For a long time, citizens/ex-pats in Seoul, South Korea were frustrated by the trash and lack of dustbins that affected their lifestyle. The conditions in public spaces were upsetting and affecting their health and the environment. Be it around the workplace or the markets or parks or even landmarks, sights of trash was very common in Seoul- very similar to the Metropolitan cities in India. And on rare occasions where Municipalities have provided trashcans, they are often flowing from the brim leading to across the sidewalks.
At the same time, major landfills had started over-flowing because of the NIMBY(Not-in-my-backyard)[1] Syndrome. The reason being that the residents around the allotted area, either did not approve of the new landfill or required huge compensation. The landfills, on the other hand, was another disaster being cultivated and this was leading to increased risks of environmental pollution. Soil, ground and surface water pollution were not just the only threats- emissions of gases, pungent smell and unexpected fires also contributed to the hazard.
The government thus came up with a solution to bring down the quantity of waste and inculcate practices of recycling in the households and public spaces. Hence “Volume Based Waste Fee” was introduced. Under this system, a peculiar synthetic bag was to be purchased at the price of the treatment cost and the waste was supposed to be collected in them. Moreover, the junk that could be recycled was collected in separate bins, free of cost. This gave families as an incentive to recycle more wastes which previously did not exist.[2]
These waste bags had to be dropped by each household at a common space allocated by the municipality. Citizens have also been given a radio frequency ID Card which registers one's own household. Once the waste has been dumped, the containers weigh the weight and it is flashed on the screen, indicating the equivalent amount to be paid as fine. The amount is then registered to the card and further requires these households to pay the amount, by the end of the month.
Soon after the implementation of this particular system, the residential areas experienced illegal burning and dumping of wastes in public bins. In response to this, some municipalities decided to reduce the number of bins in the city and track down the offenders through surveillance and imposed fine on those who used unauthorised garbage bags and illegal dumping. Within months of implementation, they recognized that people had accepted the fine and paid it later, doing more harm than any good. However, the turning point was when the government decided to reward citizens who reported illegal dumping or burning. The new reward system proposed in 2000 stated that any reporting will be rewarded by 80% of the fine imposed. With time, Public participation took to another level and this system became a success and the responsibility of the trash was taken up by its citizens.
Remember this is just one of the many programmes under the country’s Solid Waste Management and have all significantly contributed to waste reduction since the early 1990s. The others include the[3]
· Deposit Refund System,
· Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR),
· Bans on Problematic Plastic Items and packaging
This did not happen overnight, the country dealt with rapid urbanization at the time sought solutions to keep a check on their production of waste. Seoul is not just one of the most rigorous recycling systems but also a success that went from 2% recyclable waste to 70% recycling rate which is expected by 2022. While a desire for change was given by the citizens at first, the effort by the municipality was consistent further strengthening the political will.
So, what can Indian cities learn from Seoul’s Waste Management Systems?
Most of Seoul’s change in behaviour was an initiative by the Government and Municipalities is seeking alternatives for bringing down the waste and control the pollution and prioritise its citizen’s health. An effective Action Plan will require alternatives to plastics and make it sustainable, incentivise companies involved in recycling and clarifying regulations while also including cooperation from its citizens. While cities like Mysore, Indore and Thiruvanthapuram have buckled up measures to regulate waste, the big cities like Bengaluru, Delhi and many more struggles to bring in the change. Guess its a long way!
[1] https://medium.com/@vinceau/dont-talk-trash-about-south-korea-s-waste-management-system-7a11e15ff0e1
[2] https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/south-korea/housing/setting-up-home/waste-recycling
[3] https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/ten-zero-waste-cities-how-seoul-came-to-be-among-the-best-in-recycling-68585
3 Waste Management World. (2012). Seoul Recovers Energy from 730,000 Tonnes of Waste. Waste Management World. Retrieved from https://waste-management-world.com/a/seoul-recovers-energy-from-730-000-tonnes-of-waste
