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This 360-degree view photo of Suwon Recycling Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, is reminiscent of “the Blue Marble.” (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

“New” Styrofoam boxes poured over faded Styrofoam piles. On Earth Day, Suwon Recycling Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, was busy with garbage trucks coming and going. For the past year that we’ve been fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, we have prioritized our battle against the virus over everything else and overlooked increased use of single-use packaging and containers.

Disposed Styrofoam waste is piled up at Suwon Recycling Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

Earth Day, which marked its 51st anniversary on Thursday, was launched on April 22, 1970, by US Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who wanted to spread awareness about environmental protection. Although the creation of Earth Day was inspired by the devastating 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, Earth today is plagued not by one incident alone but by people’s repeated, habitual lifestyle behaviors.

The images in this article are 360-degree view photos taken from a drone showing Suwon Recycling Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. They were stitched together using photo editing software.

By Lee Jeong-a, staff photographer

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