Since 2020, as COVID-19 has worsened, people have started to use delivery a lot as contact and encounters with people have decreased. In the process, the consumption of plastic and disposable products increased rapidly. The government also naturally worried about environmental problems and started implementing various policies and regulations. Under the new policy, plastic bags will be banned at convenience stores and bakeries from November 24th. The restrictions on using disposable products will be expanded with disposable paper cups and plastic straws. They will not be available in cafes and restaurants anymore.
However, the government decided not to impose fines on violations by setting a guidance period for one year to minimize confusion and inconvenience caused by the expansion of restrictions on disposable products. The Ministry of Environment said that during the one- year guidance period, the prohibition must be observed through campaigns, except in
unavoidable cases due to consumer demands and workplace conditions. In addition, if it is inevitable to provide prohibited plastic bags in general retail businesses such as supermarkets, plastic bags should be sold for a fee as previous regulations. Lastly, the government considers that plastic straws are also banned internationally, so it says that it will plan first to use straws made of alternative materials such as paper, rice, and reeds.
By. Hanseul Chang