(image: Eco Echo Cooperative)
BUSAN, May 14 (Korea Bizwire) — A new type of beach mat first appeared at the popular Haeundae Beach in Busan last year. The mats made from old festival banners can be rented at Beachcombing Haeundae in the Haeundae Tourism Facility Center.
Hwa Deok-heon, the CEO of Eco Echo Cooperative, started the rental business with 200 mats when he saw that beachgoers often left their beach mats behind, which then went to the trash. The mats can be rented for 1,000 KRW with a deposit of 5,000 KRW.
Visitors rented the mats approximately 2,500 times last year and an additional 100 mats were made this year to meet rising demand.
With the increasing popularity of the rental mats among citizens of Busan, Haeundae district has announced that it will open a second rental location on the beach to make Haeundae more eco-friendly.
For those who wish to rent after business hours, Haeundae Tourist Center will launch its own rental service this summer.
Hwa also created recycled wallets using old swim rings that cannot be used anymore. Haeundae district will hold an art exhibition, Recreating Eco-friendly Ocean, to display ocean trash turned into art.
Olivia Lee (mjlee@koreabizwire.com)
