The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) announced that on the afternoon of July 17, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korea Post (Director Cho Hae-geun) under the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Dongsuh Foods Corporation (CEO Kim Kwang-su) at the Resource Circulation Office of the Ministry of Environment (located in Eojin-dong, Sejong). This agreement was signed to implement a project to collect disposable coffee capsules using mailboxes starting in the second half of this year. 

This project is significant in that it establishes a new collection system for disposable coffee capsules, which urgently need separate disposal, by utilizing postal logistics infrastructure. It is expected to promote the efficient use of recyclable resources and enhance consumer convenience in disposal.

According to this agreement, the Ministry will provide institutional and policy support to promote the separate disposal and recycling of disposable coffee capsules, and the Korea Post will establish a coffee capsule collection system using postal logistics infrastructure such as mailboxes. 

Dongsuh Foods Corporation will provide consumers with an opener to separate the coffee grounds from the capsules and a dedicated bag to store the separated coffee capsules in order to recycle the collected coffee capsule materials (aluminum).

This agreement aims to raise public awareness of the Ministry’s policies on the separate disposal of recyclables and to establish a new type of collection for currently distributed coffee capsules, thereby maximizing the recycling of valuable resources that would otherwise be discarded. 

In particular, this project is being promoted through public-private cooperation, and it is expected to have a positive effect by identifying new items of recyclable resources and expanding their circular use.

Furthermore, this agreement plans to enhance its effectiveness by continuously evaluating the convenience of disposal for consumers and the improvement in recycling quality, rather than simply stopping at the establishment of disposal and collection systems.

Yoo Seung-kwang, Director General of the Resource Circulation Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, stated, “Coffee capsules are high-value metal resources made of aluminum that can be recycled to a high quality when separated from coffee grounds.” He added, “Based on this agreement, we will strive to establish a new framework for the separate disposal and collection system, making it applicable to other items as well.” 

Kwak Byung-jin, Director of the Management Planning Office at Korea Post, stated, “We will actively cooperate in creating sustainable environmental value by establishing recycling and resource circulation systems for various resources, in addition to disposable coffee capsules.”

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Ministry signed an MOU with Korea Post to establish a resource circulation cooperation system for the activation of the waste medicine collection project, in addition to the collection of disposable coffee capsules.

This project involves using mailboxes to collect waste medicine. Place the waste medicine in a dedicated waste medicine bag or a separate bag marked “waste medicine” and then drop it into a mailbox. Currently, it is being implemented in 42 local governments, including Seoul, Sejong, Donghae, and Samcheok, and the number of participating municipalities is gradually increasing.

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division. 

Contact person: Gina Lee, foreign media spokesperson

Phone: +82-44-201-6055

Email: gcjgina @gmail.com