Gumi Food Festival Reduces Waste by 3.6 Tons Through Reusable Container Use

Improving Resource Waste and Waste Disposal Issues, Eco-Friendly Festival Evaluation

City Plans to Apply Measures to Large-Scale Food Festivals Like Ramyeon Festival in the Future

The 2023 Gumi Food Festival, held as the largest outdoor food festival in Gyeongbuk Province, is being recognized as an eco-friendly and clean festival.

The most notable aspect of this festival was the revolutionary improvement in resource waste and waste disposal issues, which are commonly caused by the use of disposable containers at most outdoor events, through the use of reusable containers.

Analysis of the waste reduction effect from using reusable containers showed that the amount of waste reduced at this festival reached 3.6 tons. According to data from the European environmental organization 'Zero Waste,' which states that 1.1 times the amount of carbon dioxide is generated per 1 kg of household waste, reducing 3.6 tons of waste is equivalent to cutting 3.96 tons of carbon dioxide, which corresponds to the amount absorbed by 1,687 trees.

This festival advanced as an eco-friendly event by using reusable containers to reduce waste generation, repurposing ice cream cones as bibimbap sharing containers, and installing a 'Fresh Zone' to separate and store food waste and recyclable waste.

Operation scene of Fresh Zone.

Although about 70 food booths were set up in the Bokgaecheon parking lot, no trash was seen on the streets, and citizens demonstrated mature civic awareness by cleaning up and organizing after eating.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, "Through this festival, we have laid the groundwork for creating eco-friendly festivals such as using reusable containers, and we will strive to continue hosting eco-friendly festivals in the future, including the ramen festival."

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