[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The government plans to reduce plastic waste generation by 20% by 2025. While expanding services that replace single-use products with reusable ones, it will also strengthen plastic reduction policies by fostering the recycled raw materials industry.
On the 20th, the Ministry of Environment announced the "Full-cycle Plastic Reduction Measures" with these details. It will focus particularly on managing plastics in packaging and containers, whose usage surged after COVID-19, and establish a foundation to reduce plastics overall. According to the Ministry of Environment, plastic waste generation increased by 17.7% from 4.18 million tons in 2019 to a provisional 4.92 million tons last year compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Accordingly, the plan is to reduce plastic waste generation to 3.93 million tons by 2025, a 20% reduction from last year. The previous administration also set the same target in the "Plastic Reduction Measures for Household Waste." To achieve this, four tasks will be pursued: ▲reducing single-use products based on alternative services ▲complete recycling ▲fostering the recycled raw materials and substitutes industry ▲fulfilling international community responsibilities.
First, to reduce the use of plastic single-use products, the use of reusable products will be encouraged. The deposit system for disposable cups, to be implemented in Sejong and Jeju this December, will serve as a measure to reduce plastic single-use product usage. For plastic single-use products that are difficult to recycle, a roadmap will be prepared to rationalize waste charges reflecting increased disposal costs.
Support will be provided for collaboration with logistics and courier companies to increase the purchase of reusable containers and washing machines and the use of reusable delivery boxes. Additionally, guidelines for selling unpackaged individual agricultural products, activation of cosmetic refill stores, and management of excessive packaging for agricultural products and deliveries will be implemented. Consulting will be conducted to make "no provision of single-use products" the default option when ordering via kiosks in stores or smartphone applications for delivery. From next year, incentives of about 300 to 500 won in carbon-neutral practice points are also being considered for consumers who use reusable containers.
To increase the recycling rate of plastic waste, a "target rate for the use of recycled plastic raw materials" will be set. Products made using a certain amount or more of recycled raw materials will be separately labeled so that local governments can prioritize purchasing them and consumers can make informed choices.
The scope of reductions in waste charges and recycling fees when using recycled raw materials will also be expanded. The environmental label certification standards for biomass synthetic resin products, made from biomass derived from plants rather than petroleum, will be strengthened to increase their production. Standards for biodegradable plastic environmental labels will also be reinforced. Currently, biodegradable plastics that decompose more than 90% within 180 days at a temperature of 58±2 degrees Celsius and oxygen concentration above 6% can receive environmental label certification. However, since such conditions are rarely met in nature, there have been criticisms of "greenwashing."
The Ministry of Environment expects that the measures will enable responses to new plastic environmental regulations being introduced or promoted in major overseas countries. By creating an investment environment through regulatory adjustments, investments exceeding 2.7 trillion won are expected to be induced in promising related sectors, and the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050 through plastic reduction is anticipated.
The government stated, "We will proactively respond to newly introduced plastic regulations in various countries to support the enhancement of international competitiveness of domestic companies," and added, "We will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through plastic reduction."
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