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Busan Metropolitan City to Hold Joint Ceremony for Resource Circulation Day and Blue Sky Day

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, will hold a joint ceremony commemorating the 18th Resource Circulation Day on September 6 and the 7th Blue Sky Day on September 7, beginning at 14:00 today, September 7, in the Grand Conference Room on the first floor of City Hall.

Previously held one day apart, the two commemorative events have been jointly organized since 2025 to highlight their shared purpose of protecting the environment through resource circulation and improved air quality.

First, at 14:30, “Busan, a Zero-Waste Coffee City” will be declared for the first time.

“Busan, a Zero-Waste Coffee City” was initiated through a joint commitment by Busan Metropolitan City, the Busan Metropolitan Council, the coffee industry, and civic organizations to expand everyday citizen participation in turning spent coffee grounds into new resources.

The declaration ceremony will be attended by Oh Seok-keun, Vice Mayor for Future Innovation of Busan Metropolitan City; Yoon Tae-han, Vice Chairperson of the Busan Metropolitan Council; and representatives of related industries and civic organizations, including the head of the Busan-Gyeongnam Branch of the Korea Coffee Association, a co-CEO of Momos Coffee, the Busan Metropolitan City Household Waste Association, and the Environmental Protection Movement Federation.

At 14:40, the Air Quality Improvement Policy Forum will follow under the theme “Mapping a Bluer Busan with Data: Ten Years of Air Quality Records and Policy Proposals for the Future.”

At the forum, researcher Do Woo-gon of the Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment will give a presentation on “Current Air Quality Data and Future Outlook for Busan,” while Professor Lee Han-lim of Pukyong National University will speak on “Future Data Measurement Technologies and Their Application to Policy.” A panel discussion featuring five experts in related fields will follow.

Citizen-oriented exhibitions and hands-on programs will also be held on the same day in the first-floor lobby of City Hall from 13:00 to 17:00 and around Green Plaza from 10:00 to 16:00.

The first-floor lobby of City Hall will feature a promotional photo zone for Busan’s air-quality brand, Kkaekkeut Air, along with a four-cut photo event and stamp tour. The policy forum taking place in the Grand Conference Room will also be broadcast live on an LED screen.

A total of 15 booths will operate at Green Plaza, offering resource-circulation activities such as an exhibition of artworks made from recycled plastic toys, a recyclables exchange market, and a Re-Use shop providing repairs for small home appliances, parasols, umbrellas, and other items. A plastic-free campaign will also begin at 13:00, offering 500 free cups of coffee to visitors who bring their own tumblers.

Further event details are available on the official Instagram account of the Busan Metropolitan City Environment and Water Policy Office at https://www.instagram.com/p/DczrOxXkw1e/?img_index=1 and its blog at https://blog.naver.com/busan_ewpolicy/224399419067. Anyone may participate freely without prior registration.

For additional inquiries, contact the Resource Circulation Division of Busan Metropolitan City at 051-888-3682 or the Carbon Neutrality Policy Division at 051-888-3584.

Meanwhile, Busan Metropolitan City plans to use the declaration of “Busan, a Zero-Waste Coffee City” as an opportunity to raise awareness that “a cup of coffee disappears quickly, but the coffee grounds remain,” and to further advance Busan’s resource-circulation system by transforming discarded coffee grounds into new resources.

The number of participating stores collecting spent coffee grounds, which began with 10 locations in 2022, has increased substantially to 207 this year following the introduction of a public collection system in Busanjin-gu. The foundation for resource recovery has also steadily expanded through the development and commercialization of actual products, including eco-friendly decking materials.

Busan Metropolitan City plans to continue improving the separation and recycling of household resources by expanding the public collection system to other areas and establishing circulation systems for underused resources, including spent coffee grounds.

Oh Seok-keun, Vice Mayor for Future Innovation of Busan Metropolitan City, said, “I hope the commitment expressed today through the declaration of ‘Busan, a Zero-Waste Coffee City,’ together with the ideas shared at the policy forum, will help make Busan’s skies bluer and its resource circulation system stronger.”

He added, “We will continue to pursue comprehensive policies for better air quality and resource circulation to build Busan into a city where resources circulate and the skies remain clear and blue.”