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Busan Accelerates Efforts Toward a Disposable Cup-Free City Hall

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced its efforts to reduce the use of disposable cups by piloting a tumbler washer and expanding the reusable cup circulation system within City Hall.

On May 23, the city installed one tumbler washer in the staff cafeteria, accessible to all employees for convenient use.

○ The installation site was selected based on user accessibility and convenience.

○ The tumbler washer offers two modes:
▲ A 30-second quick wash using high-pressure, high-temperature water
▲ A 4-minute standard wash that includes detergent and drying

Initially, only the quick wash mode will be available, with the standard wash to be added depending on usage trends.

The city will also expand the reusable cup circulation system for use during in-house meetings, educational sessions, and visitor receptions.

○ Under this system, employees may freely use reusable cups placed throughout City Hall and return them to designated collection boxes. A specialized cleaning service will collect, sanitize, and redistribute the cups.

○ This system was piloted on the 12th and 22nd floors in 2024 and will be expanded to the 8th through 26th floors (excluding the 12th) in May 2025.

In addition, Busan will continue to run campaigns such as “Disposable-Free Day” every Friday to help establish a culture of reducing single-use items and further support the operation of a disposable cup-free City Hall.

○ As part of the 2025 “Busan Disposable Item Reduction Plan,” the city will continue its “Disposable-Free Day” campaign and actively promote related policies, such as designating excellent establishments for minimizing single-use items.

Lee Byung-Seok, Director General of the City’s Environmental and Water Policy Office, stated,
“We have laid the foundation for a disposable cup-free City Hall through the installation of a tumbler washer and the expansion of the reusable cup system,” and added,
“Busan will continue working to establish a culture of reducing single-use items within public institutions.”

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Appendix 1: Tumbler Washer Details

• 1.Installation Overview

• ●Start Date: May 26, 2025

• ●Model: LG myCup (1 unit)

• ●Location: Inside “Gaonbi Café” at the 3rd-floor staff cafeteria

• ●Wash Duration: 30 seconds (quick wash) and 4 minutes (standard wash)
  ※ Initially, only the 30-second quick wash will be available. Standard wash will be introduced based on usage.

• ○Quick Wash: 30 seconds with high-pressure, high-temperature water

• ○Standard Wash: 4 minutes with detergent, internal/external cleaning, and drying

• ●Maintenance: Rental-based service including detergent refill and quarterly inspection

• 2.Photos

• ●Product image and key features

• ●Installation photo of the tumbler washer

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Appendix 2: Reusable Cup Circulation System at City Hall

• 1.Operation Overview

• ●Start Date: May 2025

• ●Location: Corridors on the 8th to 26th floors (excluding 12th floor)

• ●Cup Sizes: 345ml and 192ml

• ●Return Stations: Enclosed metal bins

• ●Operation:

• ○Place reusable cups → Use → Return to bin → Collected and sanitized by specialized service (7-step process) → Redistributed in City Hall

• 2.Photos

• ●Pilot program on the 22nd floor in 2024

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Appendix 3: 2025 Plan to Reduce Use of Disposable Items – Vision and Tasks

Vision: “A disposable-free city, Eco-friendly Busan”

Key Goals

• ●Public Sector: Expand use of reusable containers and aim for zero disposable items

• ●Private Sector: Foster a culture of reduction in disposable item usage

Sector	Strategy	Key Tasks
Public	Expand use of reusable containers in City Hall and institutions
▸ Expand reusable cup system in City Hall
▸ Pilot installation of tumbler washer
▸ Support for reuse initiatives in districts and public funeral halls
Public	Eliminate disposable items in public institutions
▸ Operate “Disposable-Free Day” every Friday
▸ Foster culture of practice (surveys, monitoring)
▸ Eliminate artificial plastic flowers in public memorial facilities
Private	Promote culture of reduction
▸ Designate excellent businesses (new initiative)
▸ Operate citizen education programs
▸ Promote regulations and prohibitions on free distribution of disposable items
▸ Public-private MOUs and event-linked promotions (new initiative)

※ Enforcement and inspection for regulated items will be handled by district offices.