Incheon City for 'Creating an Eco-Friendly City'... Eliminating Single-Use Items in Funeral Homes and Public Offices

Starting a Major Shift in Resource Circulation Policies for 'Waste Independence and Self-Reliance'
Agreement with 5 General Hospitals in Incheon... Encouraging Use of Reusable Containers
Complete Ban on Use and Entry of Disposable Products in City Hall from January Next Year

In front of the city hall plaza, Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun is announcing the 'Citizen Joint Action for a Major Shift in Resource Circulation Policy,' which mainly includes the termination of the use of the metropolitan landfill site by 2025. 2020.10.15 [Photo by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City, which declared a 'major shift in resource circulation policy,' is accelerating efforts to create an eco-friendly city free of disposable products as a follow-up measure.

On the 27th, Incheon City signed a business agreement via video conference with Incheon Medical Center, Gachon Gil Hospital, Catholic University Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital, Inha University Hospital, and the Incheon Environmental Movement Federation to foster a 'disposable-free funeral culture.'

According to the agreement, these five general hospitals plan to encourage the use of reusable containers and provide them free of charge to funeral hall visitors to request restraint in using disposable products.

The Incheon Environmental Movement Federation will focus on spreading social consensus by promoting the creation of a disposable-free funeral culture and improving food hospitality culture.

The city plans to prepare support measures for participating hospitals to ensure this project takes root early, and from 2022, persuade the funeral service industry and private funeral halls to participate in the disposable-free eco-friendly funeral culture project.

Furthermore, the city sees that public institutions must take the lead in spreading related policies and will launch a 'Disposable Zero Public Office' campaign at City Hall starting January next year.

Accordingly, the use and bringing in of disposable products will be completely banned within City Hall, the use of delivery restaurants that use disposable products will be prohibited, disposable products will be banned during meetings and events, individual trash bins will be removed, and integrated recycling bins will be installed.

Additionally, when using cafeterias within public institutions, leftover food will be processed by installing RFID-based large reduction devices to reduce food waste and suppress the generation of food wastewater.

Through these measures, the average daily waste at City Hall is planned to be reduced by about 30% from the current 325kg to 225kg by 2025 within five years. The city plans to sign a business agreement next month with the Incheon City Council, 10 districts and counties, the City Office of Education, and affiliated public corporations, public enterprises, and research institutes to eliminate disposable products.

Moreover, the city will switch to eco-friendly paper for letters, official documents, and publications related to work, and will start using eco-friendly paper for New Year's cards sent to some citizens at the end of this year.

On the 12th, Incheon City announced plans to create 'Incheon Eco Land,' an eco-friendly self-waste landfill site, declaring its intention to build 'Environmental Special City Incheon,' leading eco-friendly resource circulation.

Mayor Park Namchun of Incheon said, "To end the use of the metropolitan landfill site by 2025 and achieve a major shift to eco-friendly resource circulation, Incheon and public officials must first achieve waste independence," adding, "If the movement to reduce disposable products spreads from funeral halls and public institutions to individual citizens, Incheon will stand tall as a special eco-friendly city."

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