Jeju Samdasoo Creates 'Clean Jeju'... Collects 90 Tons of Used PET Bottles

Samdasu Volunteer Group Collecting PET Bottles Abandoned on Chuja Island Beach

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Sunghye] Jeju Samdasoo has embarked on creating a clean Jeju free of plastic waste.

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation announced on the 27th that, after analyzing the results of eco-friendly activities up to the third quarter, more than 90 tons of waste PET bottles were collected in Jeju.

The Jeju Development Corporation is actively engaged in collecting waste PET bottles along with producing eco-friendly products to establish a resource circulation culture in Jeju.

First, as part of a resource circulation project conducted together with Jeju Province, Hyosung TNC, and Pleats Mama, transparent PET bottle-only collection bins were installed at a total of 125 locations, including 71 recycling help centers and multi-family housing complexes, collecting over 79 tons of PET bottles.

Through this project to build a Jeju-style circular economy, the corporation is creating a foundation for a circular economy in the Jeju region and delivering visible value of resource circulation to consumers through eco-friendly clothing and bags produced in this way.

During the same period, about 10 tons were collected through 16 PET bottle automatic collection reward machines operating throughout Jeju, and 1.4 tons through a marine waste upcycling project, totaling over 90 tons of waste PET bottles collected only in Jeju.

The corporation’s waste PET bottle collection activities have been evaluated as creating an opportunity for residents and tourists to easily participate in separate disposal of transparent PET bottles while increasing the recovery rate of PET bottles used as raw materials for upcycling.

Additionally, the resource circulation project was recently expanded to Chuja Island, a small island in northern Jeju, where a resource circulation education program for children was also conducted.

At the event held on the 10th, students practiced separating labels and caps after drinking Samdasoo. Then, after learning about the process of upcycling PET bottles into fashion items, they had time to make bags themselves using the Pleats Mama Nano Pleats Bag DIY kit.

Based on the PET bottle collection results so far, the corporation plans to expand the collection radius further next year. It also intends to continue eco-friendly efforts that the local community can participate in, such as holding eco-friendly idea contests and fostering eco-friendly social venture companies, while striving to save resources and reduce energy consumption used in product manufacturing.

Kim Jeonghak, president of Jeju Development Corporation, said, “As a company that creates value by utilizing Jeju’s natural resources, we will faithfully fulfill the role of an eco-friendly leading company that accompanies the environment as well as conserving resources.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.