Hwaseong Special City Creates Toy Recycling Center at Dongtan 'I-Heart Playground'

Hwaseong Special City (Mayor Jung Myung-geun) signed a business agreement on the 21st at the Central Conference Room on the second floor of City Hall with the Hwaseong City Environmental Foundation, Hyundai Marine and Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., Root Impact Association, and Elephant Factory Co., Ltd. for ‘promoting circular economy and establishing the I-Heart Playground.’

This agreement was prepared to link public infrastructure facilities, corporate social contribution efforts, and the capabilities of specialized organizations to promote the reuse and recycling of discarded toys, and to create a space where children and families can directly experience and learn the value of circular economy.

The agreement ceremony was attended by Jung Myung-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong Special City; Jung Seung-ho, President and CEO of Hwaseong City Environmental Foundation; Jung Gyeong-seon, Senior Vice President of Hyundai Marine and Fire Insurance; Kim Sang-woo, Secretary General of Root Impact; and Lee Chae-jin, CEO of Elephant Factory.

According to the agreement, the five organizations agreed to mutually cooperate on ▲spreading circular economy culture ▲operating environmental education and experience programs ▲discovering public interest programs ▲establishing and operating the Dongtan Lake Recycling Center and I-Heart Playground.

By organization, Hwaseong Special City will oversee administrative support for project implementation, and the Hwaseong City Environmental Foundation will be in charge of space operations. Hyundai Marine and Fire Insurance will sponsor facility establishment and operations, Root Impact will handle facility establishment and project performance management, and Elephant Factory will oversee facility and program operations, with plans to promote the project based on each organization's expertise.

The I-Heart Playground will be established on the first basement floor of Dongtan Lake Park Parking Tower. Here, plans include operating a circular economy space where discarded toys are collected, repaired, and made reusable again, as well as experience and play spaces for children and families. In addition, by linking with senior employment opportunities, the initiative plans to develop into a community public interest project where multiple generations participate together, going beyond circular economy.

Mayor Jung Myung-geun of Hwaseong Special City stated, “It is significant that we add new value to toys that could otherwise be discarded, and children can naturally learn the importance of circular economy through play and experience.” He added, “I hope the I-Heart Playground will become a space where multiple generations from children to seniors participate together, learning and practicing the value of circular economy.”