Discarded tumblers reborn as planters in resource-recycling campaign

The Korea Social Security Information Service held a resource-recycling campaign at its headquarters in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on Friday, bringing together employees and local residents, the agency announced Tuesday.

The campaign is part of a year-round effort to reduce single-use items and promote an eco-friendly culture. It featured three programs designed for easy everyday participation: encouraging the use of personal tumblers, upcycling unused tumblers into planters, and providing beverages in reusable cups to residents visiting local cooling centers.

To encourage the reduction of disposable cups, the agency ran a "To-Go Tumbler Cafe," offering coffee to employees who brought their own tumblers and serving coffee in reusable cups to local residents who visited cooling centers, spreading awareness of single-use reduction and resource recycling.

Unused tumblers collected by staff were transformed into planters through a collaboration with companies based at the Seoul Upcycling Plaza, and the finished planters were distributed to campaign participants.

Meanwhile, the Korea Social Security Information Service has consistently carried out resource-recycling activities linked to its core operations.

Last year, the agency collected and recycled about 15,000 end-of-life electronic voucher terminals from 340 social service providers, donating proceeds of 16 million won ($11,300) to the local community.

The agency plans to continue collecting and recycling retired terminals in cooperation with service providers this year. In November, it also intends to run a campaign for employees to collect and recycle old mobile phones and home appliances in partnership with a resource-recycling center.

"Just as an unused tumbler can be reborn as a planter, small everyday actions can add new value to resources," said Kim Hyeon-jun, president of the Korea Social Security Information Service. "We will consistently expand eco-friendly activities that employees and local residents can take part in together."