Gwangsan District Council Climate Committee Discusses Coffee Grounds Recycling

Holding a Regional Climate Policy Meeting and Gathering Industry Opinions

The Special Committee on Climate Crisis Response of the Gwangsan District Council in Gwangju has begun full-scale discussions on a plan to recycle coffee grounds as a region-specific climate policy initiative.

According to the Gwangsan District Council on May 12, the Special Committee recently held a policy meeting to promote the coffee grounds recycling project in Gwangsan District. The meeting was attended by about 20 people, including relevant public officials and representatives from related businesses, to exchange opinions on policy direction and implementation strategies.

Hahn Yunhee, Chairperson of the Special Committee on Climate Crisis Response. Provided by Gwangsan District Council

This project is a circular resource policy that collects coffee grounds left after brewing and recycles them into fertilizer and other uses. It was first proposed in March to reflect the reality of Korea, where per capita coffee consumption is among the highest in the world.

After the meeting, the committee has been reviewing the feasibility and practicality of the project by conducting site visits to related businesses and examining best practices from other regions. On this day, opinions from the industry were also gathered on practical public collection measures for recycling, such as the collection and storage system.

Chairperson Hahn Yunhee stated, "There are currently about 600 coffee shops in Gwangsan District," and added, "We will strive to make this project a regionally tailored climate policy model that contributes to greenhouse gas reduction and carbon neutrality."