Introduction of Reusable Containers... 6-Month Pilot Operation
"Expecting Over 80% Reduction in General Waste"
Samsung Seoul Hospital will be the first tertiary hospital to use reusable containers instead of disposable ones in its funeral hall starting from July.
On the 20th, Samsung Seoul Hospital announced that it will introduce an eco-friendly funeral culture by using reusable containers instead of disposable ones in the funeral hall from July.
This is to reduce the use of disposable products by providing reusable containers instead of disposable rice and soup bowls, spoons, cups, and plates that have been used in funeral halls.
Samsung Seoul Hospital plans to pilot this for six months to minimize confusion among the bereaved families and mourners, and fully implement the use of reusable containers from 2025. During the pilot period, Samsung Seoul Hospital will also hold briefing sessions to inform existing funeral service companies about the use of reusable containers in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
The reusable bowls, spoons, and cups provided to mourners will be collected by a professional cleaning company, undergo ultrasonic cleaning and sterilization processes, then be packaged and supplied again. Samsung Seoul Hospital expects that the introduction of reusable containers will reduce the amount of general waste generated in funeral halls by more than 80%. Park Seung-woo, director of Samsung Seoul Hospital, said, "We will break the fixed notion that using disposable containers in funeral halls is natural and make this an opportunity to spread an eco-friendly funeral culture."
Among public medical institutions in Seoul, following Seoul Medical Center being designated as a 'disposable-free funeral hall' last July, Dongbu Municipal Hospital is also scheduled to introduce reusable containers in the first half of this year.
According to a research project conducted by the Ministry of Environment, the number of disposable waste items generated annually from funeral halls nationwide is 370 million, totaling about 2,300 tons. It is also known that about 20% of disposable plates distributed domestically are used in funeral halls.
Meanwhile, on this day, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that starting from September, it will implement measures to reduce the use of disposable products by banning their use at Seoul city-hosted events and festivals with more than 1,000 attendees. Seoul aims for a 'Plastic-Free Seoul' with these disposable product reduction measures.
Earlier, in April, Seoul introduced reusable containers to 38 food and beverage vendors at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, replacing the disposable containers previously used. Through this, the goal is to reduce about 24 tons of plastic waste during this season alone. Used reusable containers are collected through 20 return bins installed throughout the stadium (11 on the 2nd floor, 9 on the 3rd floor), then gathered and cleaned at Seoul area self-support centers.
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