The Eco-Friendly World That We Create Together under Strong Regulations

Cub-reporter You Ha-young

gkdud8877@naver.com 

The Ministry of Environment will expand regulations on disposable products to protect the environment by reducing the use of disposable products. The use of disposable products is increasing significantly, with delivery orders and non-face-to-face consumption taking place and the use of disposable cups in stores soaring because of the spread of coffee culture. After COVID-19, the amount of plastic waste used in daily life increased by 18% from 4.18 million tons in 2019 to 4.92 million tons in 2021. In addition to wasting resources, excessive amounts of disposable products are seen as the main cause of serious environmental pollution. As the need to reduce disposable products grows, the government announced a plan to expand regulations regarding the use of disposable products, which will take effect on November 24. In the future, plastic bags will be banned at convenience stores and paper cups and plastic straws will be banned at restaurants and cafes.

The disposable product regulation, which starts on November 24, is the first expansion measure to take effect since the use of plastic bags was banned in large stores in 2019. 

However, the Ministry of Environment decided to operate a one year guidance period for the ban on the use of plastic bags, plastic straws, stirring rods, and paper cups in the new measures. Therefore, you do not have to pay a fine even if you use disposable products at stores after November 24 and do not participate in the Ministry of Environment campaign. 

During the one year guidance period, prohibited matters must be observed through campaigns, except in unavoidable cases because of consumer demands and workplace conditions. If it is inevitable to provide prohibited plastic bags in general retail businesses such as supermarkets, plastic bags must be sold for a fee. There is a strong trend to ban plastic straws internationally. Therefore, the government plans to use straws made of alternative materials such as paper, rice, and reeds first. The Ministry of Environment also plans to consider the use of seawater and pollination biodegradable plastic straws in the future.

With disposable products widely used in various places, it is expected that the Ministry of Environment's expanded regulations on disposable products will save resources and protect the environment with our hands, and will move toward positive improvement.