Gwangju City: "No Plastic Artificial Flowers Allowed in Municipal Cemeteries"

Eco-Friendly Memorial Park Campaign
2,000 Fresh Flowers Distributed on a First-Come, First-Served Basis

Campaign poster for the 'Eco-friendly Memorial Park' without plastic artificial flowers. Provided by Gwangju City

On October 3, Gwangju City announced that, in celebration of the Chuseok holiday, it will launch the 'Eco-Friendly Memorial Park Campaign Without Plastic Artificial Flowers' at municipal cemeteries in collaboration with Gwangju Urban Corporation.

Starting at 10 a.m. on the first day of the holiday, the city will distribute 2,000 fresh flowers free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis to visitors at Yeongnak Park.

Plastic artificial flowers are made from mixed materials such as plastic and metal, making them difficult to recycle. When exposed to sunlight for extended periods, they break down into microplastics, polluting the environment. In addition, incineration and landfill processes release carbon emissions, negatively impacting climate change. In fact, most of the waste generated at municipal cemeteries such as Yeongnak Park and Mangwol Cemetery Park consists of plastic artificial flowers, amounting to about 230 tons annually.

To promote a sustainable memorial culture, the city plans to restrict the entry of plastic artificial flowers into municipal cemeteries and actively encourage the use of eco-friendly alternatives such as fresh flowers and paper arrangements.

Jeong Mikyung, Director of the Resource Circulation Division, emphasized, "Small actions are important for a sustainable memorial culture," and urged, "Please join us in creating an eco-friendly memorial park by using fresh flowers instead of plastic artificial ones."

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