Ministry of Environment and Seoul City Launch Pilot Project for Disposable Cup Collection

Disposable Cup Collection Pilot Project Area. Photo by Ministry of Environment

The Ministry of Environment and Seoul City announced on the 6th that they will implement a pilot project for collecting disposable cups in the Gwanghwamun-Sungnyemun area. Although disposable cups have a high potential for recycling, most are discarded in volume-based waste bags without being separated, so this project aims to increase the collection rate.

The pilot project will be conducted at 42 coffee specialty stores that voluntarily applied to participate. These stores will be provided with disposable cups marked separately for project performance analysis and dedicated collection bins. The collected disposable cups will be gathered and transported by specialized companies, then handed over to recycling companies to be made into textile fibers for clothing or toilet paper.

The Ministry of Environment will support with reusable cup washers and the separation and collection of coffee grounds and milk cartons. Seoul City will reinstall outdoor trash bins and install dedicated disposable cup collection bins at 30 locations near bus stops. Unmanned disposable cup collection machines will be placed at the Seoul City Hall Seosomun Building and Jongno District Office.

The pilot project will run from the 6th of this month until the end of the year.

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