Resolution of the Resource Recycling Act and Waste Facility Promotion Act, resolution by the State Council
The "disposable cup deposit system'' will return in June 2022. When ordering a cup of coffee in cafes, a disposable cup will be charged with a certain amount of deposit, and the deposit will be returned when the cup is returned.
The Ministry of Environment announced that the amendments to the "Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources" and the "Act on the Promotion of the Installation of Waste Treatment Facilities and Support for Surrounding Areas" were resolved on June 2nd at the State Council meeting. The bill decided on this day included the introduction of a disposable cup deposit system and the obligation to install a waste treatment facility when developing large-scale residential land.
The disposable cup deposit system was promoted by voluntary agreements with related industries in 2002, and was abolished in 2008, and legal grounds were established 14 years later. The deposit is set by the Ordinance of the Ministry of Environment in consideration of the cost of manufacturing the cup and policy needs.
According to the Ministry of Environment, the number of coffee shops, bakeries, and fast food stores (based on merchants) that use disposable cups has skyrocketed from 3,500 in 2008 to 3,549 in 2018. The use of disposable cups also increased from about 420 million in 2007 to 2.5 billion in 2018.
However, the disposable cup recovery rate fell from 37% in 2009 to 5% in 2018. The deposit system was reintroduced to solve the problem of recyclable cups being left as street waste. In addition, to increase the transparency of management of unreturned deposits, the'Resource Circulation Deposit Management Committee' and'Resource Circulation Deposit Management Center' were installed and operated.
If this system is implemented and the disposable cup recovery rate is increased and recycling is promoted, the greenhouse gas can be reduced by more than 66% compared to incineration without disposable cups.
On the other hand, the amendment to the Waste Facility Promotion Act, which was resolved together with the Resource Recycling Act at the State Council meeting on this day, aims to make it mandatory to install waste treatment facilities in order to develop housing or apartment complexes. The bill will go into effect six months after the promulgation.
When there is a special reason, such as adjacent to a residential area, a waste treatment facility can be installed underground, while a development provider has been prepared to establish a facility for residents' convenience in consultation with the local government head.
Until now, most of the people who developed residential land do not install waste treatment facilities, and have paid the cost of installing waste treatment facilities to local governments. As a result of this, the waste treatment facilities became insufficient, or legal disputes over the cost of installing waste treatment facilities continued.
If the system is implemented, it is expected that facilities necessary for the region or waste treatment facilities, which are not easy to install as opposed to local residents, will be installed more stably and the acceptability of residents will be improved.