[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Suwon City in Gyeonggi Province will regulate the use of disposable items in food service establishments, which had been partially allowed since the outbreak of COVID-19, back to pre-COVID-19 levels starting in December. However, Suwon City has decided to set a grace period until the end of this year to minimize confusion on the ground due to the strengthened regulations.
On the 25th, Suwon City announced that due to the surge in disposable item usage caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the Ministry of Environment's recent push to revise regulations on disposable item use, it will reimpose restrictions on disposable item use in food service establishments starting from the 1st of next month.
Under this measure, food service establishments in Suwon, such as restaurants, cafes, and fast food outlets, will no longer be allowed to use plastic cups, disposable plates, spoons, forks, knives, vinyl tablecloths, wooden chopsticks, and similar items.
The city plans to post information regarding the disposable item use regulations on its website and conduct regular inspections and guidance for food service establishments.
A city official stated, "We will provide sufficient guidance on the regulations to business owners and citizens by setting a grace period until December 31," and added, "We hope that food service establishment stakeholders and citizens will actively cooperate."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment is pushing to revise related regulations so that the use of disposable items cannot be relaxed even if the infectious disease crisis alert level is raised to 'Warning' or higher.
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