Cheonan City, Advocating Carbon Neutrality, Had Not a Single Reusable Container at the 'K-Culture Expo'

K-Culture Expo Unable to Provide Reusable Containers Due to Budget Issues
Budget Allocated for Reusable Containers at Heungtaryeong Dance Festival, but Budget Shortage Feared

As part of its efforts to practice carbon neutrality by eliminating disposable cups, Cheonan City in Chungnam was found to have not placed a single reusable container at a large-scale festival site.
Disposable plastic containers discarded around the food zone during the K-Culture Expo. Provided by Cheonan Green Consumer Network.

As part of its carbon neutrality efforts, Cheonan City in Chungnam, which is conducting a campaign to eliminate disposable cups, was found to have not placed a single reusable container at large-scale festival sites.

Since July last year, the city has completely stopped the use of disposable cups and water bottles inside the government office and meeting rooms, establishing a system that uses reusable cups.

Reusable cups are placed in designated areas on each floor of the government office, allowing employees and visitors to freely take and use them. Used cups are collected, washed, and redistributed by the Cheonan Asan Self-Sufficiency Center as part of a job project for vulnerable groups.

In particular, the city has actively promoted the prohibition of disposable products and the distribution of reusable cups at large festivals such as the K-Culture Expo and the Heungtaryeong Dance Festival, in addition to the government office.

In fact, in December last year, the Cheonan City Council enacted the ‘Ordinance on Reducing Plastic Use in Cheonan City,’ allowing restrictions on the use of plastic products at public institutions or events hosted by public institutions.

However, at the K-Culture Expo, which ended last month, about 20 food zones operated, but all vendors used disposable cups and utensils. It was revealed that the city did not even allocate a budget for reusable products when preparing for the festival.

Another issue is that the budget allocated for reusable containers for the upcoming Heungtaryeong Dance Festival in September may be insufficient.

The Heungtaryeong Dance Festival, expected to have even more food vendors than the K-Culture Expo, has a budget of 55 million KRW allocated for reusable container use. However, the estimate provided by the collection company is around 100 million KRW, raising concerns that the number of participating vendors may be reduced or that the use of disposable products will inevitably increase again.

The public’s view on this is also cold. The Cheonan Green Consumer Network conducted a survey on waste issues at local festivals with 300 visitors during the K-Culture Expo. Among responses to the question ‘What actions can you take for a waste-free local festival?’ 63% answered that they would use alternatives to disposable products such as reusable containers or shopping bags. Recycling separation accounted for 37%, indicating the need for fundamental prevention of disposable product use.

Furthermore, regarding ‘the most necessary Cheonan City policy for a waste-free local festival,’ 50% chose ‘providing incentives for bringing tumblers and reusable containers,’ while 22% selected ‘installing rental and return booths for reusable containers.’

Additionally, when asked about ‘opinions on regulating disposable product use at festival sites,’ 89% responded in favor.

A Cheonan City official stated, “Due to budget issues, reusable cups and the like could not be installed at the K-Culture Expo, but for the Heungtaryeong Dance Festival, we plan to use reusable cups and containers in consultation with participating vendors. However, since using reusable containers is more expensive than disposable products, there needs to be a long-term discussion on the cost-sharing ratio between the city and participating vendors.”