South Korea faces dilemma over regulating disposables

Ban on such plastic items supposed to start in 2021 but resisted by small businesses

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Amid global efforts to curb disposable plastic usage, South Korea is stuck in a dilemma about whether to regulate disposable cups and straws for food services out of fear of financially burdening smaller businesses.

The country has backtracked on previously implemented disposable plastic regulations, with the Environment Ministry lifting its ban on disposable cups, plastic straws and bags at cafes and restaurants, while also giving provisional approval to bring plastic bags back to convenience stores, in November 2023.

It was initially announced in November 2019 that the ban would start in 2021, following the government’s campaign to reduce disposable cup use in cafes in 2018 and plan to reduce disposable plastic use in 2019. South Korea is a heavy consumer of such throwaway items.

According to Greenpeace data from 2023, a single person living in South Korea is responsible for consuming up to 13.6kg of disposable items every year.

Also, according to the Environment Ministry in September 2023, cafe chains and fast-food restaurants collectively used up to 4.34 billion disposable cups (consisting of 1.96 billion paper and 2.38 billion plastic cups) from 2017 to 2021.

Instead, the ministry has been testing the effectiveness of a deposit system for single-use cups, which requires customers to pay an additional 300 won (30 Singapore cents) deposit, in Jeju and Sejong. The system is being applied only to businesses that voluntarily participate.

When asked whether such practices would be expanded nationwide, Environment Minister Han Wha-jin responded conservatively, saying that the ministry was still studying relevant data.