20 Sejong City Cafes Adopt Reusable Cups, Cutting 2 Million Disposable Cups

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and Sejong City are expanding the use of reusable cups at coffee shops near public institutions. Their goal is to reduce the use of more than 2 million disposable cups annually.

The ministry said it will sign an agreement on the transition to reusable cups in Sejong City with Sejong Special Self-Governing City, the Sejong City Council, and the Korea Zero Waste Movement Network at Sejong City Hall on October 19. Under the agreement, 20 additional coffee shops will join the reusable cup deposit program: nine near the Government Complex Sejong and 11 near Sejong City Hall. Including the 20 cafes already operating within the Government Complex Sejong, the total number of participating locations will rise to 40.

Under the reusable cup deposit program, customers pay a 1,000-won deposit when ordering a drink to go and receive a refund when they return the used cup to an unmanned collection machine or another designated location.

The ministry plans to install additional unmanned collection machines in high-traffic areas, including public institutions, parking lots, bus stops, and nearby commercial areas, to make cup returns more convenient. Collected cups will be washed, dried at high temperatures, sterilized with ultraviolet (UV) light, and inspected using artificial intelligence (AI) before being supplied back to stores.

Participating stores will receive support for some of the costs of collecting, washing, and resupplying cups. They will also receive 30 won in carbon neutrality points per cup, based on their reusable cup usage. Consumers who return cups will receive 300 won in carbon neutrality points per cup. Deposit refunds and carbon neutrality points will be administered separately.

In June 2023, the ministry introduced the reusable cup deposit program at all coffee shops within the Government Complex Sejong. In April 2025, it revised the relevant guidelines to allow public institutions to prohibit or restrict the use of disposable products inside their buildings.

Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Seonghwan said, "Reducing disposable cups and using reusable ones is a climate action people can take in their daily lives. We will make reusable cups more convenient to use and expand the number of participating stores so that public institutions' efforts lead to greater public participation."

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