Gyeonggi Province Signs 'Reusable Container Use Agreement' with 18 Professional Teams...First in the Nation

Gyeonggi Province has signed an agreement with 18 professional sports teams in the province, including soccer, baseball, basketball, and volleyball teams, to introduce reusable containers at stadium food and beverage outlets as well as nearby food trucks. Gyeonggi Province is the first in the country to sign an agreement on the use of reusable containers with professional sports teams.

At the agreement ceremony with the 18 professional teams in the province on September 4, Gyeonggi Province Governor Dongyeon Kim said, "It has been more than two and a half years since the Gyeonggi Provincial Government became a place where single-use cups and disposable food delivery containers are not allowed. Thousands of public officials at our provincial government started this initiative with pride, and now, using reusable cups instead of single-use cups at professional sports stadiums where large numbers of people gather is a truly meaningful attempt."

Notably, the ceremony was attended by Suwon FC General Manager Choi Soonho, Suwon Samsung Bluewings General Manager Park Kyunghoon, and Yongin Samsung Life General Manager Lim Geunbae, along with Korea Sports & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seungmin as a special guest, drawing attention.

According to the main terms of the agreement, Gyeonggi Province and the professional teams will cooperate to supply reusable containers to stadium food and beverage outlets and nearby food trucks. After use, the containers will be returned, collected, washed, and supplied again.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Dongyeon Kim is delivering a greeting at the reusable container usage agreement ceremony held on the 4th. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

The teams plan to operate 'return booths' or install 'dedicated return boxes' to ensure the smooth collection of reusable containers. At Suwon World Cup Stadium, which already uses reusable containers, the return rate has reached 98% (an average of 5,200 containers used per game), resulting in a reduction of 1,036 kilograms of waste.

If the use of reusable containers is expanded to all teams in the province, Gyeonggi Province expects that the use of 1.2 million reusable containers could reduce waste by 66 tons.

Governor Kim emphasized, "The key to success in responding to climate change ultimately depends on how well these practices are integrated into the daily lives of our residents and citizens. The finishing touch to government policy is for our citizens and residents to internalize these practices in their everyday lives."

He added, "Today, we have taken the first step. While this initiative starts with professional teams, I ask that the province and the teams play a leading role so that it can be further integrated into the lives of even more residents in the future."

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