On the 6th, disposable straws and cups were placed in a cafe in downtown Seoul. news
From June 10, if you use disposable cups at cafes, you will have to pay a deposit of 300 won. The deposit is refundable upon returning the used cup. A barcode and an anti-counterfeiting sticker are attached to the cup, which makes it impossible to receive the deposit again even if it is returned several times.
From 2024, the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packaging materials used for meat and fish packaging in large supermarkets will also be banned. Disposable plastic towels are not allowed in restaurants.
The Ministry of Environment announced on the 24th that it would make an advance notice of legislation for 40 days from the 25th of the following amendments to the sub-laws in the field of resource circulation, such as the enforcement decree of the ‘Resource Saving and Recycling Promotion Act’ (Resource Recycling Act).
◆Disposable cup deposit 300 won… Avoid repeated return tricks
Starting from June 10 of this year, when using plastic or paper disposable cups at 38,000 stores nationwide, a deposit of 300 won must be paid as a resource recycling deposit.
Applicable stores include ▲Cafés such as Starbucks and A Twosome Place ▲Confectionery and bakery shops such as Dunkin Donuts and Paris Baguette ▲Fast food restaurants such as Lotteria, McDonald’s and Burger King ▲ Ice cream and shaved ice shops such as Baskin Robbins and Sulbing ▲Gongcha Smoothie King It is a franchise business (franchise) store with more than 100 stores including Juci and other beverage stores.
About 2.8 billion cups are used in franchise stores nationwide. This is equivalent to using 56 items per person per year. Of these, 2.3 billion are estimated to be used in stores subject to the deposit system.
The deposit can be returned to the store where you purchased the drink or other franchise stores where the deposit system is applied. You can also receive disposable cups left on the street by picking them up and returning them.
If you return the cup once returned, you cannot receive an additional deposit. A POS device that can recognize the barcode attached to the cup is installed in the store. On the surface of the cup, an anti-counterfeiting and tampering prevention sticker produced by the Korea Minting Corporation is attached.
Deposit is paid by bank transfer or cash. The account transfer will be deposited into your account after a few minutes to an hour through the mobile app.
The Ministry of Environment is planning to specify the standard specifications for disposable cups. Plastic cups are made of colorless and transparent PET (PET-A) material, and surface printing is prohibited. Paper cups allow for an inner coating at a level that is not a problem for recycling, and surface printing is minimized.
Used disposable cups are collected at 3-5 collection companies by region, and then recycled at 1-2 specialized recycling companies.
At a mart in Seoul, consumers are looking at the ingredients listed on wet wipes. News data photo
◆PVC packaging for meat and fish packaging is prohibited… Eliminate single use wipes
From 2024, the use of PVC packaging materials used as wraps for livestock and marine products in large marts will be completely banned.
PVC generates hazardous chemicals such as hydrogen chloride in the recycling process and corrodes machinery. Accordingly, the Ministry of Environment induces the substitution of other materials, such as polyolefin (PO), which is similar to PVC but easy to recycle.
At the same time, a producer responsible recycling (EPR) charge is levied on PVC packaging. Considering recycling costs (981 won per 1 kg), etc., consider setting the levy higher than the plastic product levy rate of 150 won per 1 kg.
Disposable wipes containing plastic are not allowed in restaurants.
Disposable wipes commonly used in restaurants are synthetic fibers containing 40-50% plastic. It is difficult to recycle and takes a long time to decompose naturally.
By using wet towels or plastic-free wipes, it is expected that 288,000 tons of annual savings will be saved. The Ministry of Environment predicted that there would be no disruption in the supply and demand of sanitary towels.
The enforcement date is one year after the promulgation of the amended Enforcement Decree and Rules of the Resource Recycling Act.
In addition, starting next year, the standard recycling cost for normal cartons and sterilized packs that are difficult to recycle will be set at 279 won and 519 won per kg, respectively.
The sterilization packs mainly used for soymilk and soju packs are 5-6 layers of pulp, synthetic resin, and aluminum, so recycling is more difficult than normal cartons.
The use of sterilization packs, which was 17,000 tons, 25% of the total cartons in 2014, surged to 27,000 tons, or 41% of the total cartons, in 2020 due to COVID-19. It is expected to increase to 47,000 tons by 2030, accounting for 63% of the total carton usage.
This measure differentiated the standard that was previously reflected at 185 won per kg to form an appropriate market price for each type of carton as the use of sterilization packs increased.
Since December of last year, the Ministry of Environment has been implementing a pilot project to separate paper packs from about 60,000 apartment houses in Namyangju, Bucheon, Hwaseong, and Sejong, Gyeonggi Province.
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