One Month Since Ban on Single-Use Items in Cafes and Restaurants... Still Disorderly in Many Places

On the 1st of last month, a notice regarding the restriction on the use of disposable items in the store according to resource recycling laws was posted on the bulletin board of a franchise coffee shop in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] It has been a month since the regulation on the use of disposable items in food service establishments such as cafes and restaurants nationwide resumed, but the atmosphere remains chaotic in many places. This is attributed to the significant increase in customers visiting stores due to the easing of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines and the temporary suspension of fines for violations, leaving the matter to the discretion of customers and business owners.

According to the Ministry of Environment and the food and beverage and dining industries on the 2nd, the regulation on the use of disposable items in food service establishments nationwide resumed from the 1st of last month. This reinstates the disposable item regulations that had been relaxed due to COVID-19 after two years. The system prohibits the use of disposable plastic cups, plates, and containers when consuming food and beverages on-site at cafes, restaurants, and other food and beverage sales outlets.

Starbucks Korea, which operates only directly managed stores, stated that it is implementing the regulation without major issues through constant placement of customer notices and employee training.

A Starbucks representative said, "Since we had already implemented the use of mugs inside cafes before COVID-19, consumers tend to accept this as a return to normal daily life."

However, relatively smaller-scale franchises continue to experience confusion. Especially after the social distancing measures were lifted on the 18th of last month, the increase in customers visiting stores during lunch and dinner hours, group gatherings, and weekend meetings has intensified on-site confusion.

Mr. A, a small to medium franchise cafe owner in a university district in downtown Seoul, said, "Even if we take orders for takeout and serve drinks in disposable cups, customers linger in the store with various excuses, and asking them to leave only leads to fights, so it’s difficult to respond individually. Since the fines for violations are currently suspended, I heard that using disposable items inside the store is not penalized, so during busy hours, we just serve drinks in disposable cups unconditionally."

Earlier, the Ministry of Environment announced that in response to political demands to suspend penalties for the ban on disposable item use inside stores to aid economic recovery amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, fines for violations would be indefinitely suspended "until the COVID-19 situation improves."

The shortage of part-time workers in low-income industries also contributes to the on-site confusion. Another cafe owner, Mr. B, said, "With the sudden increase in customers visiting the store, I managed to hire one employee for dishwashing, but they are struggling as the amount of dishes to wash, including mugs and glass cups used for water, has increased. We switched water glasses to paper cups and are adjusting mug usage at our discretion, but I’m worried the employee might quit."

Starting in June, a ‘disposable cup deposit system’ will be introduced, requiring a 300 won deposit to be paid upfront when using disposable cups, which will be refunded upon return. This is expected to further increase confusion on-site. An industry insider said, "While we agree with the purpose and intent of the deposit system, the additional staffing required for cup management and returns, the cost of recycling barcode labels, and processing support fees could be a burden for the industry."