South Korea scraps disposable plastic bags after waste crisis brought on by China import ban
- Thousands of discount stores, supermarkets and bakeries nationwide are prohibited from allowing customers to use the throwaway packaging
- Offending companies will be fined up to US$2,680
South Korea on Tuesday enforced a ban on disposable plastic bags in a bid to stamp out non-biodegradable garbage in the world’s second-largest plastic waste producer.
The move follows a plastic waste handling crisis in South Korea last April when China, the world’s largest importer of recyclable material, banned the import of plastic garbage.
Citing financial loss caused by declining plastic waste prices abroad, South Korea’s recycling firms stopped collecting the trash. The stoppage left piles of garbage – such as water bottles and plastic bags – in the streets and depots for weeks. Recyclers resumed work after being promised government subsidies.
The waste crisis underscored the seriousness of the issue, forcing government authorities to come up with more sustainable ways to deal with plastic waste rather than simply exporting the problem abroad.
From Tuesday, discount stores, supermarkets and bakeries nationwide were prohibited from allowing customers to use disposable plastic bags, the environment ministry said. The move is the result of a revised law on conserve resources and encourage reuse of recyclable waste, the ministry added.