Students and faculty members actively participated in the “Campus Resource Circulation, Small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Collection Campaign” held at Sejong University on May 27. (Photo = Korea Environment Corporation Metropolitan Western Regional Headquarters)
The Korea Environment Corporation’s Metropolitan Western Regional Headquarters conducted a collection campaign for small waste electrical and electronic equipment targeting university students at Sejong University.
According to the Metropolitan Western Regional Headquarters, the campaign was held for three days from May 27 to 29 in the plaza in front of Daeyang Hall at Sejong University. It was carried out under the name “Campus Resource Circulation, Small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Collection Campaign.”
The campaign was planned in line with the expansion and strengthening of resource circulation systems. The two pillars are the Eco-Labeling Assurance System and the Extended Producer Responsibility system. The aim was to encourage young people to learn resource circulation culture on campus and directly participate in separating and disposing of small waste electrical and electronic equipment.
These two systems are mechanisms that manage the entire process of electronic products from production to disposal. The Extended Producer Responsibility system holds manufacturers responsible for collection and recycling. The Eco-Labeling Assurance System restricts the use of hazardous substances in electronic products and encourages designs that are easier to recycle.
The campaign was carried out through a division of labor among three organizations. The Korea Environment Corporation’s Metropolitan Western Regional Headquarters oversaw promotional efforts linked to the Eco-Labeling Assurance System. Sejong University provided the venue and supported the participation and operation of the environmental club THE EYES. E-Cycle Governance, which is responsible for collecting and recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment, handled the installation and collection of the collection boxes.
On the first day, May 27, a collection box for small waste electrical and electronic equipment was installed at the on-site booth. Participation continued from students and faculty members.
The booth also promoted and helped install the “Modeubiwoom” app, which guides users to the locations of nearby waste appliance collection boxes. It is a tool that helps people who hesitate because they are unsure how to sort and dispose of items easily find disposal locations.
Yoon Wan-woo, head of the Metropolitan Western Regional Headquarters of the Korea Environment Corporation, said, “Through this campaign, I hope the younger generation will have an opportunity to directly experience resource circulation policies and put them into practice in daily life.” He added, “Based on cooperation with related organizations, we will strengthen promotion of resource circulation policies and contribute to ESG management and the fulfillment of environmental responsibility by public institutions.”
The Korea Environment Corporation is a specialized agency under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment that has built expertise in the environmental field for more than 40 years. It covers a wide range of areas, from traditional fields such as water quality, air, soil and chemicals to carbon neutrality and climate crisis response. The Metropolitan Western Regional Headquarters has jurisdiction over western Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
Because small waste electrical and electronic equipment is small in size, it is often thrown out as ordinary trash. This campaign, aimed at young people, is significant as a policy experiment to expand participation in separate disposal, containing the character of a policy trial.