Seoul promotes zero waste, and many are eager to help

Social Affairs

Published: 09 Jun. 2022, 19:33 Updated: 10 Jun. 2022, 09:58

Seoul promotes zero waste, and many are eager to help

A poster promoting Seoul's zero waste project [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Kim Se-jung, a 24-year-old living in Apgujeong in Seoul’s Gangnam District, isn't into ordering food in. She thinks it's expensive and bad for the environment.

Kim didn't have a single food delivery app on her iPhone until recently.

That's when she read that the city of Seoul was offering a delivery service from which customers could choose to get their meals in reusable steel containers — without an extra charge.

Kim's resistance broke down.

“Zero waste” is a rising mantra for people like Kim, who want to consume like any other modern person but in a way that minimizes damage to the environment.

The zero waste movement wants to minimize waste that is non-biodegradable to as little as possible.

Many countries are emphasizing the idea, all in different ways. This year, France banned plastic packaging for 30 types of fruits and vegetables sold in supermarkets. It plans to gradually ban plastic packaging for all fruits and vegetables by 2026.

According to a 2019 Greenpeace report, every Korean consumes 96 plastic bottles, 65 plastic cups and 460 plastic bags per year. More than 1 billion plastic cups and delivery containers are used annually in Seoul alone.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, an environmental lawyer-turned-politician, released his "Seoul Vision 2030" in September. It includes a Zero Waste Seoul Project intended to reduce household plastic waste. As part of an effort to phase out waste, the city aims to promote the use of reusable cups and delivery containers, and open packaging-free "zero waste" shops across the capital.

A picture of reusable containers, cutlery and bag used for food delivery [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Zero Restaurants

As is commonly acknowledged with a mixture of pride and embarrassment, people in Seoul are addicted to the delivery of food to their homes. That has been true for as long as telephones and motor scooters existed, but the obsession kicked into an even higher gear during the Covid-19 pandemic, when social distancing restrictions and business curfews forced people to stay at home for months.

Food delivery businesses boomed — and so did the amount of plastic waste being tossed out.

The number of disposable delivery containers used in Seoul, a megacity of 10 million residents, reached an average of 54 million per month in 2021, according to Statistics Korea.

Another study conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency showed that the average Korean orders food in 2.8 times a week, and a person uses 1,341.6 plastic containers (10.8 kilograms) in a year.

In a bid to reduce waste from food deliveries, Seoul City teamed up with Yogiyo, the No. 2 online food delivery app in the country, to start a pilot project of food deliveries in reusable stainless steel containers. Currently, it's limited to 50 restaurants in the bustling district of Gangnam in southern Seoul.

The Yogiyo app has a new category called “reusable container,” which lists the restaurants participating in the project. Meals are delivered in reusable stainless steel containers and packed in reusable bags. After finishing the meal, the customer replaces the containers in the bag, scanning a QR code attached to the bag, and leaves it outside their apartment door to be picked up. The cost of collecting and washing the containers is being covered by the Seoul city government.

“The introduction of multi-use containers in the delivery industry is like a revolution,” says Kim, the 24-year-old resident of Apgujeong. “I feel like I found a small joy in life as I can order food to my home without feeling guilt.”

Delivery food in reusable bag is place outside the door of Kim's house in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [KIM SE-JUNG]

It Green is the company that collects the used containers. It washes them in a nine-step cleaning system, and sends them back to the participating restaurants.

There are 17 different stainless steel containers being used. Spoon and chopsticks are also stainless steel, and the delivery bags are all re-used, producing no disposable waste for the entire food delivery process.

“[The reusable stainless containers] are much better than the plastic containers we used before,” says Lee Jong-woo, 40, manager of a Chinese restaurant in Gangnam’s Daechi-dong. “Whenever we put hot soup in plastic bowls, it had to be sealed with plastic wrapper once again, producing additional waste.

“Some customers were worried about hormones produced from plastic bowls containing hot food," Lee added. "They not only feel reassured but the food stays warmer when delivered in stainless containers.”

A cook at Chwihong, a Chinese restaurant in Gangnam, puts food in a reusable container for delivery. [SEO JI-EUN]

Lee's restaurant saw a slight increase in delivery order since participating in the service about seven months ago. Nine out of ten customers are now asking for the reusable containers.

Noh Yu-ho, 49, who runs a salad shop in Yeoksam-dong in Gangnam, says she didn't hesitate to participate in the project. She liked the idea of producing less plastic waste and helping the environment. But she had worries.

“I first thought customers would be hesitant to have their food delivered in the containers as they’ve been used by other people,” Noh said.

But she received positive responses.

“[Customers who order foods in reusable containers] are those who care about the environment — those who think they themselves should try to reduce plastic,” Noh says.

“And I believe they’re satisfied with the service as all they have to do is leave the container at their door, and someone will come and collect it.”

According to the city government, 136 restaurants participated in the pilot project from October to January. Food delivery orders in reusable containers increased by about 478 percent in January compared to the beginning of the pilot project in October. Over the period, the project reduced carbon emissions by 3,500 kilograms, Yogiyo says.

On Earth Day on April 22, the capital signed an agreement with three additional delivery apps — Baedal Minjok (Baemin), Coupang Eats, and DDangyeo — to adopt the service in their apps.

In addition, the service will receive applications from 500 restaurants not only in Gangnam but also in southern Seoul’s Gwanak District ― where there are many single-households ― and in the campus town area of eastern Seoul’s Gwangjin District.

Zero Cafes

A reusable cup return machine is installed at Starbucks' Korea press center Branch. [YONHAP]

From April 1, coffee shops nationwide stopped giving single-use, disposable plastic cups, straws, forks, spoons and knives to customers eating in-house. They are only allowed for take-out orders. The ban actually began in August 2018, but was temporarily lifted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As long as mugs are cleaned well, I’m a proponent of this policy to ensure a clean earth for future generations,” says 56-year-old Mr. Suh, who works near Seoul City Hall.

Aside from the ban on plastic cups and straws in cafes, Seoul City took one additional step.

From November to February, the Seoul Metropolitan Government ran a pilot project to install machines that collect reusable take-out cups in 19 cafes near City Hall. According to the city, the project replaced a total of 395,000 plastic cups for take-out. The return rate of reusable cups, which was 47 percent at the beginning, rose to over 70 percent this year and reached about 80 percent in February.

This year, the city designated 16 areas, including areas with universities and offices where disposable cups are commonly used, and will install an additional 800 unmanned machines that collect reusable cups in cafes, as well as at universities, in subway stations, theaters, and hospitals.

"I've always been interested in environmental issues, and I used to order beverages for my thermos," says Ms. Jung, an office worker in Seoul. "I was first confused when using the machine in a cafe near my office, but the second time I used it, I felt it wouldn't be that difficult."

Zero Market

A picture of a Zero Market open in Seoul [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

In this new type of zero-waste shop, items are displayed without plastic wrapping, and no plastic bags are given after purchase. In addition, shoppers can bring their own bottles to fill with dish soap or detergent.

Seoul opened Zero Markets in ten locations across the capital including inside department stores, supermarkets, and shopping areas in apartment complexes.

The “fill-your-own-container” idea can save customers money on dish soap, shampoo, and hair conditioner. Customers bring their own containers, and pay based on the weight of the products.

Supermarket can cut down on waste by avoiding using packaging and selling items that are made in an organic, recyclable way, such as home decor items made of glass picked up on the beach.

“The materials are natural materials — like coconut or wood — that can be biodegraded when buried underground, and soap types are made from natural plant ingredients,” explains manager Kim Do-hee, who runs a Zero Market in the Home Plus World Cup Stadium Branch in western Seoul.

After that branch opened on Dec. 21, more zero waste markets opened across the city.

Customers shop at a Zero Market in Seoul. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Each Zero Market reflects characteristics of where it is located. For instance, the large retail store Home Plus offers customers to reuse the retrieved plastic shopping bags.

Kim Do-hee says women customers in their 40s to 50s like the natural latex rubber gloves and dish scrubbers made of hemp cloth the most.

“Since we are located inside a large retail chain, most customers are people who came to do grocery shopping,” Kim said. “In their first visit, they just look around freely, and I give them an explanation, some come back with a container next time.”

Shin Jeong-hee, a 60-year-old living in the southwestern Guro District of Seoul, goes regularly to the Zero Market down the block. Because of her daughter, Shin’s family only uses sustainable products at home.

Shin on May 18 purchased a pair of grey natural latex rubber gloves that she can use when washing dishes at her karaoke bar.

“I heard these rubber gloves are chemical-resistant and are eco-friendly,” Shin said. “As long as I need rubber gloves, I would choose eco-friendly ones.”

The first ten Zero Markets run in a pilot project closed this month. Once the actual project kicks off, the city plans to have up to 1,000 Zero Markets by 2026, by creating zero-waste zones in supermarkets or department stores, near churches or inside subway stations.

Fostering sustainable lifestyles

Seoul’s ultimate goal is to evolve into a zero-waste society.

“In Copenhagen, 45 percent of the population commute by bicycle, and 63 percent of them say that’s because commuting by bicycle is easy and convenient,” says Yoo Yeon-sik, Deputy Mayor of Climate & Environment Headquarters of Seoul in an e-mail interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“Ultimately, Seoul aims to create a city where recycling of resources can be easily, comfortably and naturally practiced,” Yoo says.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]