▲ Using Doldol e-Cup at on-campus cafe in the CWNU Bongrim Student Hall

Changwon Special City has implemented the Changwon Doldol e- Cup in earnest since July 14 this year to reduce the rapidly increasing amount of disposable plastic. Changwon Doldol e- Cup can be exchanged by deposit through the QR code in the app, to the shared cup, if you order Doldol e- Cup separately when ordering a cafe drink. In response, Changwon National University allowed the use of Changwon Doldol e- Cup at on- campus cafes in the Bongrim Student Hall and library. Using Doldol e- Cup allows CWNU faculty and students to participate in environmental protection.

Doldol e- Cup is a multi- use cup deposit system using a smartphone app that is returned after the usage of the eco- cup. Changwon City will put 2,000 won into a cup deposit if you sign up for membership after installing the smartphone app, "E Cup." After calculating the price of the drink at the cafe, if the QR code on the bottom of the shared cup is read in conjunction with the mobile phone application, 1,000 won in deposit will be withdrawn and the drink in the shared cup can be received. Since July last year, 17 cafes around Changwon City Hall have been carrying out a shared cup, the Changwon Doldol e- cup project, to take the initiative in controlling the use of reckless disposable products from public institutions. This year, a total of 28 locations are currently participating, including five ward offices and cafes in the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Assembly.

Doldol e- Cup is made of eco- friendly material mixed with wood and polypropylene. In addition, it can be washed up to 500 times, and it is managed by individual numbers through the QR code. Therefore, it is possible to computerize how many times each cup was used and washed. The salvaged Doldol e- cup is delivered to the cafe again after six stages of ultrasonic cleaning, vibration washing, high- temperature and high- pressure washing, drying, and sterilization, starting with primary cleaning. Through the above process, Changwon Doldol e- Cup showed a result of 0 in the ATP contamination test, which measures contamination, such as bacteria and food scraps. Jung Ji- sun, an official in charge of resource circulation at Changwon City Hall said, "We will continue the pilot project from July 14 to December 31 this year, as of September 5, it has been used about 2,600 times, and the recovery rate is about 95 percent." Each time you reduce the use of disposable cups, you can reduce about 23g of carbon. Based on this, carbon of about 60kg has been reduced by Changwon citizen’s use of multi- use cups for about a month and a half. Hong Nam- pyo, the Mayor of Changwon Special City, said, "If you use multi- use cups instead of disposable cups, it will reduce 23g of carbon per use. Please refrain from using disposable cups as much as possible, to actively participate in the value consumption for the environment for me, us, and the next generation, by carrying individual tumblers or using Changwon Doldol e-cup.”

The Changwon Doldol e- Cup Pilot Project, which combines IoT(Internet of Things) technology, has been implemented since July this year for cafes around Changwon University and Sangnam Commercial Area in Seongsan- gu. You can return it not only at the cafe where you purchased the beverage, but also at all the cafes participating in the Changwon Doldol e- Cup Pilot Project. At Changwon University, it can be used at cafes in the Bongrim Student Hall and library. Additionally, it can be used at cafes near Changwon National University, Jasmine Coffee second location, CCD, Bongdabang, CAFFA, Monsoon Cafe, and Cafe Bene are available. In addition, GS25, Ceong- nyeon- da- bang, and Megabox are also participating in the use of Changwon Doldol e- Cup. Since April 1, 2022, Korea has been striving to revitalize the use of mugs and tumblers by banning the use of disposable cups in stores under the Resource Recycling Act. Customers who use Doldol e- Cup can take it out without any inconvenience of moving it from a mug to a disposable cup while drinking a beverage at the store.

As of 2016, the amount of disposable cups used in Korea is very high, 26 billion per year and 70 million per day. Even during the usual exam period, trash cans in the University library can be seen overflowing with various disposable cups. Through this article, we hope you know that the use of the ECO Cup Changwon Doldol e- Cup, which is returnable and can be returned by Changwon National University students, can reduce the use of disposable products to protect the environment. How about CWNU students, who will use the cafe today, receive drinks from Changwon Doldol e-cup, and join in reducing carbon emissions?

By Jung In-hee, reporter  sugar3870@naver.com

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