38 Food and Beverage Vendors in Baseball Stadium
Produced in This Year's Seoul Color 'Sky Coral'
Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which uses a large amount of disposable products, will start using reusable containers from this month.
On the 11th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that from this month, 38 food and beverage vendors within Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu will use reusable containers. Through this initiative, they aim to reduce about 24 tons of plastic waste during this season alone. The stores have prepared 10 types of reusable containers in various shapes and sizes, including cups, bowls, and lunch boxes, and have installed 20 return bins throughout the stadium (11 on the 2nd floor, 9 on the 3rd floor) to minimize inconvenience for citizens.
Reusable containers used at Jamsil Baseball Stadium[Image source: Provided by Seoul City, Yonhap News]
The newly produced reusable containers and return bins are all made in the 'Sky Coral' color, which is the color of the year for Seoul, to protect the environment while also promoting the charm of Seoul. Used containers are collected and cleaned at Seoul-area self-sufficiency centers. For citizen safety, periodic hygiene inspections will be conducted to maintain cleanliness at 20 RLU or below, which is 10 times stricter than the general private hygiene standard of 200 RLU. RLU measures the concentration of organic compounds on surfaces, with lower values indicating higher cleanliness.
On the 12th, Seoul will hold the 'Jamsil Baseball Stadium Reusable Container Operation Agreement Ceremony' at the Seoul City Hall main building in Jung-gu, attended by the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Doosan Bears and LG Sports, the Seoul-based teams, Aramco Korea supporting reusable container production, the Seoul Regional Self-Sufficiency Center Association responsible for collection and cleaning, and Amoje Food, the food and beverage vendor within Jamsil Stadium.
Reusable container return bin inside Jamsil Baseball Stadium [Image source=Provided by Seoul City, Yonhap News]
Through this reusable container usage agreement, the city expects to use about 800,000 reusable containers instead of disposable products from this month until the end of the season in November, creating more than 30 jobs and reducing approximately 24 tons of plastic waste. Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "The introduction of reusable containers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, the home stadium of Seoul-based teams, is an example of the city's commitment to a sustainable future and environmental protection," adding, "Through this agreement, Jamsil Baseball Stadium will lead an eco-friendly sports viewing culture and become a place that enhances Seoul's appeal."
Meanwhile, there is a growing trend of using reusable containers instead of disposable products at local festivals to reduce waste output. Under current law, restaurants and food trucks participating in local festivals are allowed to use disposable products, resulting in large amounts of disposable waste each time a festival is held. On the 11th, Hampyeong-gun in Jeollanam-do announced that the 26th Hampyeong Butterfly Festival, held for 11 days from April 26 to May 6 at Hampyeong Expo Park, will use only reusable containers. The reusable container usage applies to all food and beverage vendors within the festival grounds, including restaurants, convenience stores, food trucks, and international food stalls. A Hampyeong-gun official requested active participation, saying, "Visitors returning reusable containers to collection bins installed at the event site is the first step in responding to the climate crisis."
Previously, Jeollanam-do banned the use of disposable products and used only reusable containers at two famous local festivals. From the recruitment announcement for festival food vendors, Jeollanam-do specified that "reusable containers must be used when operating food stalls." At the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival held from April 8 to 17 last month, only externally cleaned reusable utensils, including spoons, tableware, and cups, were used. Additionally, at the Gurye Sansuyu Festival held from April 9 to 17 last month, a sterilization cleaning machine was installed within the festival grounds, providing a total of 126,700 reusable containers.
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