South Korea’s CJ Logistics announced on Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Environment, Kakao, Maeil Dairies, and Hansol Paper to launch a pilot program aimed at collecting and recycling paper cartons through parcel delivery networks.

The project enables households to recycle paper and aseptic cartons by placing them in boxes outside their doors and requesting pickup via the Kakao Makers app. CJ Logistics delivery workers will collect the cartons directly during regular delivery runs.

Interested participants can sign up via the app’s “Saegabeochi” (New Value) page from 5 p.m. on May 19th, 2025, onwards. Users who collect large volumes will receive rewards such as coupons or dairy products.

Although paper cartons must be separated from regular paper and placed in dedicated recycling bins, lack of public awareness and the limited number of such bins have kept the recycling rate low - just 13 percent as of 2023.

By using existing parcel infrastructure to collect the cartons, officials believe the recycling rate could increase significantly. The Ministry of Environment plans to support the program with regulatory guidance while Maeil Dairies will contribute product incentives to high-volume households. Hansol Paper will recycle the collected cartons into high-grade paper material.

Organizers project that the initiative will collect 200 tons of paper cartons over the next two years, which is equivalent to saving roughly 4,000 pine trees.

CJ Logistics has already recovered 107 tons of cartons from over 10,000 daycare centers across Korea since 2023 as part of a separate recycling project.

CJ Logistics said that by combining its logistics infrastructure with environmental initiatives, it is making it easier for individuals to participate in sustainable living. The company added that it plans to continue collaborating with various partners to expand logistics efforts that benefit both communities and the environment.

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