[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The Ministry of Environment will expand restrictions on the use of disposable products starting from the 24th. The guidance period will last for one year from the implementation date, until November 23 of next year.
On the 1st, ahead of the expanded enforcement of disposable product usage restrictions, the Ministry of Environment announced detailed implementation plans containing these measures. The expanded restrictions include banning the use of plastic bags in small and medium-sized stores, and adding items such as paper cups, plastic straws, and stirring sticks within food service businesses and collective catering facilities. Those who violate these rules by using or providing disposable products free of charge may be fined up to 3 million KRW.
However, the Ministry of Environment has determined that an application period is necessary, so the ban on plastic bags, plastic straws and stirring sticks, and paper cups will be operated as a one-year “participatory guidance period.” During this period, the Ministry plans to conduct campaigns to induce behavioral change and perform quarterly monitoring.
During the one-year guidance period, except for unavoidable cases due to consumer demand or business circumstances communicated through campaigns, the prohibitions must be strictly followed. In comprehensive retail businesses such as supermarkets, if providing banned plastic bags is unavoidable, plastic bags must be sold for a fee according to existing regulations.
Considering the international trend of banning plastic straws, the use of alternative materials such as paper, rice, and reed straws should be prioritized. The measures implemented this month will not only add and strengthen new restrictions but also enhance the effectiveness and field applicability of the disposable product reduction system already in place.
Ambiguous and unreasonable regulations raised during online briefings since August of this year will be revised before the 24th. Taking into account actual field conditions such as convenience stores, improvements will be made to allow the use of wooden chopsticks and similar items when selling ready-to-eat or frozen foods that are only heated, even if the food service business has been registered.
Jung Sunhwa, Director of the Resource Circulation Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, said, “We hope that this new attempt of participatory guidance will shift the socially lenient perception of disposable product use and become an opportunity to achieve actual reduction results,” adding, “We plan to continuously diversify policy measures that can effectively reduce disposable products while minimizing public inconvenience by establishing social service infrastructure that can replace disposable products, such as reusable containers.”
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