[New Wave] Use of Reusable Cups and Application of AI Technology

A few days ago, while walking through the heart of Seoul, I witnessed an intriguing scene in front of a device I had never seen before. People were returning cups they had used at an unmanned ICT return station and receiving cash in exchange.

The domestic coffee market in South Korea has grown more than threefold over the past decade, reaching a scale of 10 trillion won, and the country's coffee consumption ranks third in the world. Because of this, some refer to South Korea as the "Coffee Republic." However, behind this nickname lies criticism of the somewhat low level of coffee consumption culture and behavior. Scenes such as overreactions to promotional events by global coffee brands or disposable cups discarded carelessly overflowing urban trash bins clearly indicate that advanced civic awareness still needs to be fostered.

From an environmental perspective, disposable cups in South Korea are not subject to the Producer Responsibility Recycling System (EPR), which obligates producers of products or packaging materials to recycle related waste. As a result, management of disposable cup recycling is insufficient, and the actual recycling rate of disposable cups is extremely low, at less than 10%.

Therefore, it is somewhat fortunate that the government has recognized the seriousness of disposable cup usage and announced plans to implement a disposable cup deposit system starting mid-next year. Even more welcome is the fact that, as part of the growing interest and practice in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, many private companies and coffee brands are proposing various ideas and actively taking action to reduce disposable cup use. A recent example is the "Reusable Cup Project," a public-private partnership aiming to reduce 1.2 million disposable cups, jointly promoted by a telecommunications company and eco-friendly businesses through a pilot project with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. This project also collects reusable cups via the aforementioned unmanned return stations.

At pilot stores near Seoul City Hall, customers purchasing coffee or other beverages pay a 1,000 won deposit to choose a reusable cup, enjoy their drink freely inside or outside the store, and then receive their deposit refund through an unmanned reusable cup return machine. The remarkable aspect is that artificial intelligence (AI) technology is applied to analyze whether the returned cup is the designated reusable cup, after which the deposit is refunded in cash or points.

This AI technology includes a convenient UX/UI for customers participating in environmental protection and a vision AI-based data loading, learning, and distribution process that enables the unmanned reusable cup return machine to accurately recognize designated cups. Accordingly, the unmanned return machine can distinguish reusable cups eligible for deposit refunds and also recognizes foreign substances, leftover beverages, and lids to minimize factors that interfere with cup stacking. Returned cups undergo disinfection, high-pressure washing, and sterilized drying before being supplied back to coffee shops for reuse. AI technology plays a central role in this virtuous cycle by enabling searches for stores where reusable cups can be used and return machine locations, as well as point accumulation through an eco-friendly app.

It is hoped that such collaboration to reduce disposable cup use will continuously expand beyond large coffee chains to small business cafes nationwide, and that innovative ideas applying AI technology will fuel a nationwide reusable cup movement, providing a positive influence on climate change response through reducing disposable product use and fostering the recycling industry.

Jung Won-jun, Professor, Department of Media Communication, Suwon University