From Waste to Wildflowers: Upcycled Tire Gardens Brighten Alleys Across Gwangju Region

Shincheonji Volunteer Group Songha Branch Transformed 350+ Discarded Tires into Mini Gardens Across Gwangju, Hwasun, and Naju—Creating Sustainable Green Spaces with Local Residents

💬 "The alley corner that used to collect trash turned into a beautiful garden. When residents and village leaders saw the flowers, they began requesting mini gardens for their own towns."

— Local Resident in Songha-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju

In March 2024, a quiet alley corner in Songha-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, had a persistent problem with illegal dumping and discarded waste.

Instead of placing standard warning signs, volunteers from the Shincheonji Volunteer Group Songha Branch chose a creative approach: they cleared away the waste and placed colorful, hand-painted flower planters made from discarded tires. What began as a small project to clean up a single corner soon grew into a regional greening initiative.

From Songha-dong to Hwasun and Naju: Community-Driven Expansion

Seeing the positive transformation of trash-prone corners, local residents and village heads began asking volunteers to build similar gardens in their own neighborhoods:

  • Expanding Outreach: Between March 2024 and September 2026, Songha Branch completed 20 upcycling garden projects, repurposing over 350 waste tires into vibrant planters.

  • Hwasun-gun Partnership: In Maengri Village (Baeka-myeon) and along Gyedong-gil, volunteers established new garden sites. At Oseong 2nd Apartments, the Hwasun-gun County Office actively supported the effort by supplying bricks and fresh flowers for garden wall renovations.

  • Naju-si Expansion: In February 2025, volunteers brought mini gardens to vacant spots in Uksil Village (Bonghwang-myeon), breathing new life into rural streetscapes.


Meticulous Craftsmanship and Sustainable Local Care

To ensure these planters remain durable and attractive, volunteers select usable waste tires, wash and surface-treat them, paint them in bright colors, and fill them with nutrient-rich soil before planting flowers and young trees.

  • Sansu Market Management: Following an installation at Sansu Market, the local merchant association welcomed the brighter market entrance and agreed to regularly water and maintain the gardens alongside local senior employment program workers.

  • Intergenerational Connection: Songha Branch expanded these garden sites into social spaces, hosting gardening workshops and community gatherings for local elderly residents.


Co-Creating Sustainable Living Spaces with Residents

Reflecting on the two-year project, a representative from the Songha Branch shared:

"We initially started with a simple question: 'How can we reuse discarded tires to clean up one local alley?' Today, residents are the ones requesting garden sites and helping us look after them long-term. Turning waste management into a shared neighborhood project is our greatest reward."


Source: https://vo.la/qVzn6er

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