[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Environment will launch the 'Resource Circulation Policy Forum' on the 17th to establish a fundamental improvement strategy for waste management.
The Resource Circulation Policy Forum will include stakeholders such as government ministries including the Ministry of Environment, local governments, related organizations, relevant industries, civil society, and experts to discuss improvement measures for the entire process from waste generation to final disposal.
Considering social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), discussions will begin with a minimal number of participants.
Through the forum, the Ministry of Environment plans to overcome the limitations of existing waste management and establish a 'Resource Circulation Policy Transformation Plan' to advance the domestic resource circulation system and actively respond to resource depletion and climate change.
The forum will be composed of four subcommittees: reduction, recycling, public management, and treatment facilities. The main discussion topics for each subcommittee are as follows.
The Reduction Subcommittee will prepare measures to prevent unnecessary waste generation from the production and distribution stages, aiming to transform into a structure where the economy grows but waste does not increase. It will focus on policies to reduce distribution packaging materials such as delivery cardboard boxes, which have recently increased due to the impact of COVID-19.
The Recycling Subcommittee will discuss ways to realize a high value-added circular economy centered on small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies. It will focus on improving the difficult and inefficient separate collection system, enhancing the Producer Responsibility Recycling System (EPR) to solve plastic problems, and securing demand channels.
The Public Management Subcommittee will discuss ways to establish a stable waste management system centered on public trust. It will create treatment plans centered on local governments and waste generation sites to reduce excessive dependence on the private market and prevent collection stoppages.
The Treatment Facilities Subcommittee will develop plans to transform waste treatment facilities, which have been hidden until now, into resident-friendly facilities that they want to show. It will create a new model of waste treatment facilities that coexist with local residents and share profits, and discuss institutional improvement tasks to revitalize waste resource energy.
The Ministry of Environment plans to hold four meetings for each subcommittee by June this year, draft the Resource Circulation Policy Transformation Plan in the first half of the year, and promote social public discussions such as public debates and hearings.
Lee Young-gi, Director of Resource Circulation Policy at the Ministry of Environment, said, "Whenever the waste recycling market stagnates, there are concerns about collection stoppages, and considering the increasing damage caused by illegal waste disposal and long-distance transportation, a fundamental transformation beyond existing systems and measures is urgently needed. We will strive to realize tasks that have not been promoted due to long-standing practices and complex interests during this opportunity."
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