The “Cigarette Butt Reward Campaign,” which was launched in some districts of Seoul, is still gaining traction. Yongsan-gu began implementing the program in March of last year and Seongdong-gu followed suit in October. To be eligible, participants must be at least 20 years old. When they take the cigarette butts to the local community center, these people are paid by government agencies for their efforts. One would think that street corners would be spotless due to this effort, however this is far from the truth; cigarette butts can still be seen everywhere – even in dead-end back alleys, around residential properties and flower beds.
Last summer, Seoul experienced a flood caused by historic amounts of rain that had been blocked by a clogged storm drain. While awareness of civic duty has certainly improved since the Seoul Olympics, allowing downtown streets to become much tidier, the situation appears to have changed considerably.
The Seongdong-gu Office reports that on average, 10 to 15 people gather around 30 kg of cigarette butts each month for the purpose of making a few cents. Contrary to what some may think, collecting these butts is not merely a hobby; it involves strenuous physical activity and repetition of the motion of bending over and picking up without rest. The hand gripping the tongs becomes sore from all the work, as well as one’s clothes and even shoes having to bear the smell from all this. Additionally, there are doubts about how beneficial this task really is.
It is intended to clean up the streets, yet it is impossible to tell the difference between cigarette butts thrown out and those that have been swept away. No matter how hard an effort is put forth, there is no way to keep up with the rapid accumulation of cigarette butts. In fact, areas that have been cleaned end up getting filled with cigarette butts again in no time. It’s like trying to fill a bottomless pot with water; Gangbuk-gu in Seoul implemented a reward program from 2021 until last year, but discontinued it this year due to this problem.