SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Korea Bizwire) —In an attempt to encourage pedestrians to recycle, Seoul’s Seocho District is flexing its creative muscle. On August 7, the district office announced that it will place 44 recycling bins designed to look like giant coffee cups throughout the streets of the Gangnam and Banpo neighborhoods.
Standing waist high, these garbage bins modeled after typical take-out coffee cups will be constructed of stainless steel. Exact measurements provided show that they will stand 120 centimeters tall and 70 centimeters wide.
Coffee cup-shaped recycling bins are not an entirely new development. Last May, 10 garbage bins were placed on the street near Gangnam Station as a test drive of sorts. Since the experiment saw positive results (93 percent of garbage in the bins was recyclable in nature), the trial undoubtedly encouraged the district to take the initiative one step further.
A spokesperson for the district office said, “Areas with high levels of foot traffic generally produce recyclable waste like disposable coffee cups. By installing recycling bins shaped like coffee cups in these areas, the district expects [the garbage bins] to effectively ‘kill two birds with one stone’ by providing helping consumers recycle and improving the decor of the physical environment.”
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)