Single-use plastic cups banned in cafes starting April

4월부터 카페서 일회용컵 사용 금지…환경부 오늘 고시

South Korea is reviving its ban on the use of diposable plastic cups and utensils at cafes and restaurants... for customers who dine in.
They'll have to be given reusable products instead.
The ban had been lifted for a while to help with efforts to stop COVID-19.
But it'll now take effect again at cafes starting in April... and restaurants from November.
Min Suk-hyen reports.
Single-use plastic cups will be banned from cafes starting this April.
The Environment Ministry has announced a set of laws to limit the use of plastic and other disposable items.

"Under the revised rules, coffee shops cannot use plastic cups and single-use plates or cutlery from April 1st.
And from November 24th, paper cups, plastic straws and stirrers will be banned at restaurants and cafeterias.
Convenience stores and bakeries will also no longer be able to give customers plastic bags."

These measures only apply to in-house eating and drinking... and not for take-outs.
Stores could face fines of up to about 420 U.S. dollars for their first violation of the rules, with further violations resulting in larger fines.

The ministry says the move is aimed at reducing soaring waste amid the pandemic.
In 2020, the amount of plastic waste jumped 19 percent, while paper surged 25 percent.
Expanded polystyrene, such as styrofoam, increased 14 percent... and plastic wrapping and plastic bags climbed 9 percent.
The Environment Ministry called on the public and relevant industries for their support to reduce disposable items.

"Disposable products are convenient to use, but they generate a large amount of waste and cause environmental pollution. And so, there have been calls to restore the regulations on the use of disposable products... just like before the pandemic... to reduce waste."

The government had initially prohibited the use of plastics in August 2018 but temporarily granted its use in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
This has allowed cafes and restaurants to use disposable items in line with the government's efforts to prevent virus transmissions.
But now with vaccine rollouts, the ministry has decided to prohibit single-use plastics again to reduce waste.
Min Suk-hyen, Arirang News.

#plastic_cup #cafe #restaurant

2022-01-06, 17:00 (KST)

[brotherimzee]

single use items were allowed to reduce transmission but due to vaccine roll outs, restaurants will now have to comply with the law.... oh yeah the vaccinated can still transmit the virus but that's different.

[hannahlee]

This is great and a very classy move from South Korea.

[Mageoftheyear]

Sorry, who is causing this pollution? I throw my trash in the trash. Is the government admitting to dumping trash that we paid them to collect and safely deal with?

[amigabang]

Awkward if you want to just sit down in the store for a few minutes then take your coffee out.

[CrazySquirrelProductions]

Well, it's a nice idea but the trade off is using more water, creating more waste water, ensuring proper sanitation of the multi use cups, as well as more energy consumption.