■ Appearance: Heo Seung-eun, Green Union Green Society Team Leader
* The text below may differ from the actual content of the broadcast, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. a quote [YTN 뉴스라이더] Please specify.
[앵커]
Do you know what kind of item Koreans use as much as 40 billion a year? These are disposable paper cups and straws. For the sake of the earth, for future generations, the use of plastic bags and plastic straws has been banned since yesterday.
Of course, it is a necessary measure, but there was also confusion among citizens who did not receive a plastic bag after visiting a convenience store or bakery. Let’s talk in detail with team leader Heo Seung-eun of the Green Union. welcome
[허승은]
Hello.
[앵커]
Many people are probably wondering, but organize the ban on using disposable products, when, where, and how.
[허승은]
From yesterday, November 24th, regulations on the use of disposable products have been strengthened. There are many different items that are prohibited for use. Let me explain one by one. First of all, in the food service industry, that is, restaurants and cafes, paper cups, plastic straws, and stir bars are prohibited inside the store.
Also, the use of disposable plastic bags is prohibited in convenience stores and bakeries. We couldn’t use plastic bags in big markets, but you can see that this has spread to convenience stores and bakeries.
And restaurants and bars are only allowed to sell disposable bags and shopping bags. In sports facilities such as baseball and basketball stadiums, plastic cheering items such as stick balloons and cheering cushions are now banned. In large-scale shops such as department stores, when it rains, the use of plastic items such as umbrellas is prohibited.
[앵커]
I also went to the convenience store and heard the owner of the store giving instructions, but in the convenience store, then, shouldn’t any plastic bags be sold from now on?
[허승은]
Until the day before yesterday, it was possible to sell because free provision was prohibited, but because of this regulation, it was impossible to sell. However, paper bags and shopping bags are for sale. And it is possible to use pay-as-you-go bags.
To introduce what plastic bags can do, there is moisture on the surface of fish, meat, vegetables, etc., so plastic bags to contain these, size B5 or plastic bags or shopping bags with a capacity of 0.5 liters or less, and large items such as blankets or floors You can use a plastic bag of 50 millimeters or less that you touched to keep it.
[앵커]
There are some exceptional types. Then, if I am caught using these disposable items or plastic bags, do I have to pay a fine?
[허승은]
If you use disposable products that are currently subject to usage restrictions or provide them for free, a high fee of 3 million won will be imposed. However, this time, the Ministry of Environment announced that it would have a one-year guideline period when implementing the system, so no penalty will be given.
[앵커]
Then, if it’s a one-year guideline period, can I continue to sell disposables for a year? What is it?
[허승은]
No, it means that there will be no enforcement or fines for this item, but it should be seen as a rule not to use prohibited items.
In the case of plastic and disposable cups in cafe shops, the use has already been banned. That’s why he’s not a target this time either. Therefore, you should know that disposable plastic cups used in cafe shops are subject to fines.
[앵커]
I think this might be confusing. So, he was banned, but not banned for a year, after all. I think this is going to be very confusing in the field. How is the atmosphere on site?
[허승은]
I also went to the cafe yesterday. Firstly, paper cups were not used in the cafes I went to, and plastic straws were used a lot.
And as I was walking around yesterday, I thought the notifications etc were not well connected, so the staff and users couldn’t be familiar with them.
Looking at the content reported yesterday, there were reports that many places were using paper cups all over the site, and interviews with the owners of the stores He is said to have said that he would do it, and that he wouldn’t worry too much .
[앵커]
It seems so. It seems there are a lot of people like that. So, isn’t this measure completely banned ì Perhaps there is criticism like this. How do you see it?
[허승은]
In fact, this regulation was published after the Resource Use Act was amended on November 31 last year. Reflecting the opinion of the industry, it was decided to postpone the period of 11 months and implement it from 24 November this year. So some industries were already preparing.
Therefore, even in convenience stores, there were many reports that they stopped buying plastic bags and switched to paper shopping bags or paper bags in line with the enforcement date. Now, in this case, convenience store owners are very confused about what to do about these things because they have to give consumers disposable plastic bags if they want.
[앵커]
So, did you change it while trying to implement this? What is it? What is the problem with this operation now?
[허승은]
First of all, we see that this announcement should have been implemented correctly because we gave it about 11 months. I forbid the use, but I will not break down. I will not impose fines, and I cannot avoid criticism that this publication has in fact caused great confusion.
For example, aren’t paper cups banned in shops in principle? Some stores adhere to that principle. However, some stores may not stock it yet. Users are also confused. It can be here and not there.
And the cafe owners are also in trouble. It is possible to use it if users want it or if it is unavoidable. After being informed like this, in fact, I am very confused whether I should prepare these paper cups or plastic straws, or don’t
If the Ministry of Environment said it would implement this regulation, it should have clearly fulfilled the guidelines, but in the current situation, there is much criticism that this responsibility has been transferred to local governments and users. In this situation, I think it is a bit difficult to achieve the policy goal of reducing disposable use.
[앵커]
The biggest problem seems to be that it is not clear that the policy should be clear to all business owners and consumers to whom this regulation applies.
Also, it is said that the Ministry of Environment will implement a deposit system for disposable cups starting next month. However, this is also only partially implemented in Sejong and Jeju. What problem do you see?
[허승은]
Many people were confused again. In fact, the law determines the enforcement date of the disposable cup deposit system. So it should have been implemented on 10 June this year.
[앵커]
It has already passed.
[허승은]
Yes, but the Ministry of Environment arbitrarily delayed the implementation date, so it was changed to December 2nd. As you said, there is still confusion because they said they would only do it in Jeju and Sejong, not all over the country.
There are many opinions that there are many doubts whether Jeju and Sejong alone will be effective because the target stores only account for 1.5% of the total planned stores, and the metropolitan area, which has many stores and high use, also excluded.
Another problem is that the ultimate goal of this system is to collect and recycle the disposable cups we used.
Then, in order to recover and recycle the disposable cups, which have not been recycled in the past, and which accounted for only 5%, one aim is to unite the material and make it a material that can increase’ r recycling rate without printing. .
Another is that it can only be recycled when it is collected well, but for it to be collected well, consumers must return it well. However, under the current system, consumers are unable to return products in any store where the system is operated, but only in stores with the same and corresponding brand, rather than in any store where the system is in effect.
As a result, there is concern that there may be some inconvenience to users. In the current situation, it will only be effective if it is implemented across the country as soon as possible, and I think that the system needs to be added a little more so that it can be returned in any target store.
[앵커]
Earlier, the Ministry of Environment said that the implementation date was changed arbitrarily, but if it was decided, it should be true. I think it’s okay that not everyone is confused.
Let’s talk about the whole environmental problem. How serious is the current environmental pollution in our country?
[허승은]
The waste of resources that go into disposable products that are used once and thrown away, and the cost and energy problems that go into processing them, these cause pollution a very serious environmental issue, so policies to regulate the use of disposable products are being strengthened around the world.
Since Korea is also a country that uses a lot of disposable products, we regulate these disposable products step by step for each item.
Looking at the data going through the last corona pandemic, it is reported that the use of plastic has increased by 19%, and vinyl has increased by 9%.
[앵커]
Because they do a lot of deliveries.
[허승은]
Therefore, if you look at the current usage which has increased, I believe that the policy should be strengthened to further reduce usage.
[앵커]
Then, how effective would it be if we implemented the plastic or disposable container regulations we have just mentioned?
[허승은]
In 2019, the Ministry of the Environment announced a policy to reduce disposable products. According to the data at the time, as of 2018, 8.4 billion disposable cups were used. The number used in the food service industry alone is 8.4 billion.
If you ban the use of plastic cups in the shop, ban the use of paper cups, and use a deposit system for take-out cups, you have announced that you can reduce 2.9 billion cups.
If the policies to strengthen the use of disposable cups are implemented consistently well, I think that the use can be reduced sufficiently.
[앵커]
Looking at the number alone, it seems that there is such an impact that more than 30% is saved. Then, what else should we do for the environment in the future?
[허승은]
Citizens are well aware of the seriousness of environmental problems, especially plastic pollution. More and more people are trying to use less plastic bags, and more and more people are carrying tumblers to avoid using disposable cups. However, I would like to emphasize that these efforts should not be limited to individual practices, but rather established as organizations and systems.
In particular, a coherent system is needed. The Ministry of the Environment announced that they would be doing some support to change to doublers for take-out cups when implementing disposable regulatory policies this time.
However, it was again announced that there would be no fines or suspensions on disposable cups used in shops. The parts that can really reduce usage are in-store usage, so I think that should be prioritized.
In 2018, as the garbage problem, known as the garbage crisis, was greatly expanded socially, many policies were announced on the use of disposable products and plastics. I believe that what the Ministry of the Environment should do is not delay or postpone, but implement the policies quickly and very strongly.
[앵커]
As you have just said, individual practice is important, but I think it is more important that these systems and systems are settled in a clear and consistent manner. I will listen to what you have to say today. So far, I have been talking to team leader Heo Seung-eun from the Green Union. Thank you
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