SK Geocentric Establishes Circular System for Waste Plastic at Rest Areas with Korea Expressway Corporation and Jeju Samdasoo

SK Geocentric-Korea Expressway Corporation-Jeju Samdasoo
Agreement Signed for Recycling System of Waste Plastic at Rest Areas

Collecting PET Bottles Disposed at Highway Rest Areas for Recycling
Recycling Product Distribution and Donations to Vulnerable Groups

Installation of Unmanned Collection Machines at 18 Rest Areas Nationwide
Pilot Project Operating Systematic Management for Collecting Grade A PET Bottles

Stakeholders are taking a commemorative photo in front of the unmanned collection machine created by the social venture Innoverus. Photo by SK Innovation

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] SK Geocentric announced on the 24th that it has signed a 'Hyoo (休)-Cycle Campaign Business Agreement' with the Ministry of Environment, Korea Expressway Corporation, Jeju Samdasoo, and the Korea Recycling Resource Distribution Support Center.

Attending the agreement ceremony were Cho Heesong, Director of the Hangang River Basin Environmental Office at the Ministry of Environment; Kim Myungho, Head of Sales Division at Korea Expressway Corporation; Lee Kyungho, Planning Director of Jeju Samdasoo; Lim Taesu, Head of the Korea Recycling Resource Distribution Support Center; Song Hwaseok, Head of Management Planning Office at SK Geocentric; and other related officials.

Through the business agreement, the consortium agreed to collaborate on the entire process from the separate collection of plastic waste generated at highway rest areas to recycling. According to the agreement, they will continue cooperation in ▲ PET bottle collection and resource circulation process ▲ installation of customer-participatory unmanned PET bottle collection machines ▲ activities to promote resource recycling.

The consortium will first operate a pilot project from this month to systematically manage the collection process at a total of 18 rest areas, including Anseong, Jukjeon, Cheonan Samgeori, Gyeongju, and Giheung rest areas. They will install unmanned PET bottle collection machines produced by Innoverse, an eco-friendly social venture fostered by SK Innovation, to sort high-quality waste plastic.

When rest area users insert PET bottles into the unmanned collection machines, the device uses artificial intelligence to identify and select A-grade PET bottles with high recycling quality and awards points to the users who inserted them. The selected PET bottles are transported separately to a waste sorting facility without mixing to prevent contamination. They then go through a recycling production line and are reborn as high-quality raw materials that can be regenerated. Users can donate or enter a draw with the points awarded and receive various products.

Events to encourage active participation will also be held. Users who participate in the event by using points accumulated from inserting PET bottles into the rest area’s AI unmanned collection machines can win picnic sets made from recycled PET bottle products through a lottery. Users can enter the draw with just one insertion.

The 'Hyoo Cycle Campaign' started last year and is a campaign conducted to induce separate collection of transparent PET bottles through notices and dedicated collection bins placed at rest areas nationwide and to establish a virtuous cycle of waste resources. Since June last year, some of the collected PET bottles have been recycled to produce upcycled blankets through Wooshisan, a social enterprise supported by SK Innovation. SK Geocentric, Korea Expressway Corporation, and Jeju Samdasoo plan to purchase 150 upcycled blankets and donate them to vulnerable groups.

Song Hwaseok, Head of Management Planning Office at SK Geocentric, said, "We hope the expansion of the plastic resource circulation campaign, which has continued since last year, will lead to active public participation. SK Geocentric will strive even harder to improve the recycling rate of plastics and to remake waste plastics into new materials."