TRASH IN APGUJEONG RODEO STREET

Apgujeong Rodeo Street is a hub of fashion trends located in the district of Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea. This street has always maintained its popularity among both foreigners and Koreans since the early 1990s. Because the street is lined with numerous flagship stores, famous restaurants, the street is not only packed with a vast crowd of people but also, unfortunately, piles of trash.

As part of our ECOHUNT plogging initiative, I decided to address this issue by picking up trash in this widely popular area. I was able to find various items like plastic bottles, advertising flyers and leftover food from the previous day left on the streets. In order to make sure that our sustainable intentions were fully met, I collected these items that I found in biodegradable trash bags.

In contrast to trash that our team found in the Han River Park, I realized that most of the trash in the Apgujeong Rodeo Street was mostly comprised of advertisement flyers instead of large pieces of trash like styrofoam. Although these are two different types of trash, they are both equally environmentally dangerous.

Paper Flyers are made from trees, meaning it involves deforestation and the use of energy resources during its production. The mass printing of these flyers can add to the negative impact of release of greenhouse gases and harsh chemicals into the atmosphere. If these flyers aren't disposed of, they can take a long time to decompose. On the other hand, styrofoams are made from non-renewable resources and they are certainly not biodegradable, meaning they can harmfully impact our environment for hundreds of years if not disposed of properly. When they break down into little pieces, they can also pose a huge threat to the wildlife.

Hence, although paper flyers and styrofoam may differ significantly in their forms of trash, they both pose a potential threat to our environment if not disposed of properly. Thus, regardless of the type of litter you encounter on the streets, it is important and crucial that you dispose of it appropriately!

- Written by Ella Hong