Changwon Special City, Use of Reusable Cups for Civil Complaints and Meetings Inside the Government Building

Small Actions to Reduce Single-Use Products

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Song Jong-gu] Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam will install and operate reusable cup storage and return boxes inside the city hall starting from the 22nd to promote the habitual use of reusable cups during civil service receptions and meetings, aiming for a city hall free of disposable products.

On this day, Jo Myung-rae, the 2nd Deputy Mayor, and Lee Sang-shin, Chairman of the Changwon Special City Public Officials Labor Union, personally practiced avoiding disposable products by using the reusable cups installed at the entrance of the City Hall Citizen Hall.

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam has decided to use reusable cups even during civil complaint receptions and meetings.

The city installed storage and return boxes for reusable cups at a total of eight locations within the city hall: five in the main building, one in the first annex, one in the second annex, and one in the council building. The usage method is that during civil service receptions or meetings, each department takes as many cups as needed from the storage box, and after use, simply returns them to the return box without the need for washing. The returned cups are hygienically processed by a professional cleaning company and then supplied back to the storage boxes.

Since 2021, the city has been promoting various pilot projects for reusable cups. In July 2021, a pilot project for reusable cups was conducted targeting cafes around the city hall, and in July 2022, the first pilot project of the deposit-charging/refunding type ‘Changwon Doldol e-Cup’ was promoted around Changwon University and nearby areas.

This year, the city plans to actively pursue a more substantial second pilot project site including churches, libraries, department stores, and universities to revitalize the ‘Changwon Doldol e-Cup’.

Deputy Mayor Jo said, “After the pilot operation of reusable cups starting with the city hall in the first half of the year, if positive effects are confirmed, the use of reusable cups will be expanded to district offices, other public institutions, and companies,” adding, “Changwon Special City’s reusable container resource circulation policy project will continue to be carried forward.”