Spiritus Stories: Eco Guardians’ Report 3

Creating Cleaner Streets in Sinsa-dong

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A Morning Walk That Opened Our Eyes

On July 12, our Spiritus team gathered in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, for a street cleanup activity that turned out to be far more meaningful than we expected. What began as a short morning walk quickly became an eye-opening experience about how much hidden waste surrounds us in places we pass every day. Our mission was simple: walk a short route, collect as much trash as possible, and leave the neighborhood cleaner than we found it.

Equipped with gloves, clear trash bags, and a shared goal, we started our route through a mix of busy commercial streets and quiet residential alleys. These are places with heavy foot traffic and, unfortunately, frequent littering. At first glance, the area seemed relatively clean. But as soon as we slowed down and looked closer — under benches, between sidewalk cracks, beside storefronts — we began spotting trash everywhere.

By the end of our 1.11 km route, we had collected 138 individual pieces of waste, proving that even places that “look clean” often hide much more than we realize.

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What We Found: A Closer Look at the Data

Our cleanup wasn’t just about filling bags. We carefully documented and categorized the types of trash we found to understand what was most common:

Type of Waste	Percentage	Pieces
Paper	30.4%	42
Cigarette butts	27.5%	38
Plastic	18.1%	25
Vinyl	8.7%	12
Styrofoam	7.2%	10
Cans	5.1%	7
Glass bottles	2.9%	4

The data revealed a clear trend: cigarette butts and paper waste accounted for over half of all the trash we collected. Cigarette butts, in particular, were everywhere — small and easy to overlook, yet significantly harmful to the environment. They clustered near bus stops, alley corners, and shop entrances, while paper waste often took the form of discarded flyers or crumpled receipts scattered across the ground.

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The Small Moments That Matter

One of the most memorable moments of the day happened when a team member noticed a plastic wrapper wedged tightly between two sidewalk tiles. It was barely visible and easy to ignore. But instead of passing it by, they knelt down, carefully pulled it out, and cleared the surrounding space.

It was a small action, but it captured the very essence of our mission: caring enough to notice and act, even when no one is watching. These small choices, repeated many times, are what lead to meaningful change.

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Beyond One Cleanup

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