Gwangjin-gu Prohibits All Employees from Using and Bringing Disposable Cups Inside the Office Building

From 2023, mandatory ban on the use and bringing of disposable cups inside the office building for all employees

On-site inspections during lunch hours from the 2nd to the 4th with penalties imposed; employees with more than three violations will be assigned duty work

Improving awareness of disposable product use among all employees, promoting the habitual use of personal tumblers and reusable cups

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) has conducted on-site inspections from the 2nd to the 4th to work together with employees in creating a zero disposable cup office building.

Since COVID-19, the use of disposable products has increased, exacerbating environmental issues such as resource waste and the climate crisis. Accordingly, the district officially launched the “Creating a Zero Disposable Cup Office Building” initiative in November last year to suppress disposable waste generation and foster a resource-circulating society.

As part of this effort, the district mandated from 2023 that all employees are prohibited from using or bringing disposable cups. This aims to encourage employees to participate first in creating a zero disposable cup office building and to help improve awareness of disposable product use, making the use of personal tumblers or reusable cups a daily habit.

To ensure compliance with this policy, on-site inspections were conducted during lunch hours?the time when disposable cups are most frequently used?from the 2nd to the 4th. Employees found bringing disposable cups during inspections will receive individual penalties. Those who accumulate three or more penalties will be assigned duty work.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, stated, “Employees must take the lead in actively practicing the use of personal tumblers and reusable cups. I believe that the range of places not using disposable cups will gradually expand from the office building to nearby cafes and district cafes, making Gwangjin-gu an eco-friendly consumption city.”

The district plans to continue conducting surprise inspections to restrict the bringing of disposable cups by all employees inside the office building.

Additionally, the district will continue efforts such as ▲ recruiting reusable cup-sharing cafes around the office building ▲ informing cafes near the office building about the mandatory use of reusable cups for public officials ▲ installing and operating unmanned return machines for reusable cups inside the office building, thereby continuing the initiative to create a zero disposable cup office building.