Burning Banners Releases Harmful Substances, Landfilling Takes Centuries to Decompose... Assemblyman Yeon Kyusik Proposes Eco-Friendly Banner Ordinance in North Gyeongsang Province

Yeon Kyusik, a member of the Kyeongbuk Provincial Assembly from the People Power Party representing Pohang, announced on March 24 that he had sponsored the “Ordinance on the Use of Eco-Friendly Banners and Promotion of Waste Banner Recycling in North Gyeongsang Province” at the recent temporary session of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Assembly held on March 18.

Currently, banners commonly seen in the vicinity are mostly made from polyester or other plastic synthetic resins. When incinerated, these materials emit harmful substances, and even when landfilled, they take hundreds of years to decompose, becoming a major cause of soil pollution.

Yeon Gyusik, Member of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly

In particular, the massive volume of waste banners generated after elections or various events has not only posed an environmental burden but also resulted in significant administrative costs. Although North Gyeongsang Province and its cities and counties are currently supporting projects to recycle waste banners into sacks and other items, these are merely temporary after-the-fact solutions, with limitations as a fundamental remedy. Therefore, this ordinance has been proposed to prevent environmental pollution caused by banners and to contribute to environmental conservation and greenhouse gas reduction.

The main contents of the ordinance include: establishing and implementing plans to promote the use of eco-friendly banners and the recycling of waste banners; requiring public institutions and other entities to use eco-friendly banners; supporting the use of eco-friendly banners and the recycling of waste banners; and provisions related to projects for publicity and education.

Assemblyman Yeon stated, “Resources are not meant to be used once and discarded, but should be continuously circulated to create new value as sustainable assets,” adding, “We must take real steps toward achieving carbon neutrality by recycling waste banners, which have long been a main cause of environmental pollution and administrative costs.”

He continued, “By leading the way in using eco-friendly banner materials in public institutions, I hope this will serve as a positive opportunity to raise residents’ awareness of resource circulation,” and emphasized, “I will continue to work toward accelerating carbon neutrality and the circular economy, so that residents can enjoy a clean environment and peace of mind in North Gyeongsang Province.”

The ordinance passed the review by the Culture and Environment Committee of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Assembly on March 18 and is scheduled for final approval at the 2nd plenary session of the temporary assembly on April 1.

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