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The Ministry of Environment held a public demonstration on the afternoon of the 6th at Ediya Coffee IBK Headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, ahead of the disposable cup deposit system set to be implemented on June 10. The demonstration introduced the process by which consumers return cups and receive the resource circulation deposit refund after the disposable cup deposit system is enforced. On this day, an employee at the store attached a deposit refund barcode to a cup. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] The implementation of the 'Disposable Cup Deposit System,' where consumers pay a deposit when using disposable cups and get their money back upon returning the cups, is just one month away.
On the 6th, a demonstration on the detailed operation method of the Disposable Cup Deposit System, which will be implemented from the 10th of next month, was held at the Ediya Coffee IBK headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The Disposable Cup Deposit System requires customers to pay a 300 KRW 'Resource Circulation Deposit' when receiving a beverage in a disposable cup at cafes and other establishments, and the deposit is refunded when the cup is returned.
Regardless of where the cup was purchased, the deposit can be refunded at any store subject to the deposit system (brands with 100 or more stores).
Once the system is implemented, tablet PCs will be installed separately from cash registers at stores. Consumers scan the barcode attached to the used cup and their personal unique code from the 'Resource Circulation Deposit' app on the tablet PC.
After this process is completed, the deposit is refunded to the consumer's account registered in the app. Android smartphone users can already download the Resource Circulation Deposit app and register their accounts in advance.
The barcode stickers attached to the cups are specially produced by the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation to prevent forgery or tampering. Attaching the sticker does not interfere with cup recycling.
However, it was pointed out as inconvenient that consumers must press buttons themselves when starting the return procedure and when beginning and ending barcode recognition.
Therefore, measures to improve the app so that the process can proceed automatically without pressing buttons are being considered.
Additionally, concerns have been raised that, similar to the early days of the 'QR check-in' system introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, people unfamiliar with smartphones may face difficulties. For those who find smartphone use challenging, there is also the option to return cups directly to staff and receive the deposit in cash.
Furthermore, since cups that contained beverages need to be at least lightly washed, if customers do not clean the cups properly, this task falls entirely on store employees, raising the need to consider how to handle disposable cups left behind by consumers.
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