Coast Guard Headquarters Collects 450,000 Discarded Plastic Bottles from Fishing Boats Over 4 Years Through 'Useangsoun' Project

Reborn as New Products Such as Umbrellas and Mats

The Korea Coast Guard announced on the 18th that the 'Useangsoon (Bring Back Our Used Water Bottles to Recycle as Resources)' project, which collects plastic waste generated on fishing vessels and transforms it into new products such as umbrellas and mats, is achieving significant results.

According to the Coast Guard, the number of participating fishing vessels nearly doubled from 648 in 2023 to 1,264 last year, and the amount of collected water bottles increased by 73.6%, from 144,000 (6.8 tons) to 250,000 (11.7 tons). Since the project started in 2021, approximately 450,000 (21 tons) water bottles have been reborn as new products.

The discarded water bottles are collected by a contractor entrusted by the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation and turned into new products; in 2023, 1,000 umbrellas were produced, and last year, 1,000 mats were manufactured.

Collecting water bottles to be repurposed as new materials. Photo by Korea Coast Guard

The Coast Guard encourages fishermen's participation through promotion and education of the Useangsoon project, and collaborates with the Fisheries Cooperative, Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation, Korea Midland Power, and Jeju Development Corporation to improve collection site environments and provide purchase cost support.

Song Young-gu, Director of the Marine Pollution Prevention Bureau at the Coast Guard, said, "As fishermen's participation increases, the effect of protecting the marine environment is growing stronger. We will strengthen regional cooperation systems and continue promotional activities to encourage more fishermen to join the Useangsoon project."

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