Changwon City Rolls Up Sleeves for "Carbon Reduction"... Eliminates Paper Towels in All Government Office Restrooms

Changwon City 'Use Handkerchiefs Instead of Paper Towels' Campaign Notice. [Image source=Changwon City]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Changwon City in Gyeongnam announced on the 3rd that starting this month, paper towels will no longer be provided not only in the city hall but also in all restrooms of city-affiliated buildings.

Changwon City decided to eliminate paper towels in the restrooms of 70 buildings including city hall, district offices, eup/myeon/dong offices, and public health centers nationwide for the first time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The city explained that the annual paper towel consumption at city hall alone is about 4.8 million sheets, and reducing this can cut 8 tons of carbon (equivalent to planting 1,236 pine trees). The city expects that if the culture of using handkerchiefs replaces paper towels, it will reduce carbon emissions by 640 tons annually.

Since October last year, the city has been promoting the use of handkerchiefs by attaching informational stickers to paper towel dispensers to encourage citizens to participate.

Mayor Heo Seong-moo said, "The climate crisis is not just an environmental issue, but a challenge that we all must work together to solve," adding, "Although using handkerchiefs may be a bit inconvenient, I hope this will serve as an opportunity to remind us of the small actions we can take in our daily lives for carbon neutrality."

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