"Environmental Protection" vs "No Need for Regulation": Heated Debate Over 1+1 Plastic Repackaging

Prohibition of Repackaging Products in 3 or Fewer Units with Synthetic Resin Vinyl
Ramen 'Bundle Sales', Bands and Rings Allowed
"Too Much Unnecessary Waste" vs "Not a Big Help to the Environment"
Experts: "Voluntary Participation of Citizens is Most Important"

On June 21, an employee at a large supermarket was taping promotional gifts together. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Starting January next year, re-packaging products with vinyl or other materials for promotions such as 1+1 deals or gift giveaways will be prohibited, sparking heated debates among citizens. Some argue that this measure is necessary for the environment, while others claim that banning only promotional vinyl does not significantly help the environment and that such regulations are unnecessary.

Experts evaluate this new policy as a first step toward reducing unnecessary waste generation. They emphasize the need for efforts to reduce waste from the product manufacturing stage itself.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Environment announced the 'Scope and Exception Criteria for Packaging Waste' (commonly known as the re-packaging standard) at an expanded consultative body consisting of industry representatives, experts, and consumer groups. Although this law was initially announced in June, its vague regulations caused misunderstandings that 'bundle discounts' would be completely banned, reducing discount benefits, which led to controversy.

After revising this, the Ministry of Environment plans to implement the regulation starting January next year following an administrative notice at the end of September. According to the plan, additional packaging or bundling of N+1 or gift items during the sales process of factory-produced or imported products will be prohibited. For example, wrapping 2 to 3 products such as shampoo, conditioner, detergent, or milk with vinyl that has handles to bundle and sell them will be banned.

The Ministry of Environment expects that this policy could reduce about 27,000 tons, approximately 8.0%, of the annual vinyl waste generation (which was about 341,000 tons last year).

From January next year, repackaging products by bundling the entire front with film, sheets, vinyl, etc., for promotions such as 1+1 or free gift giveaways will be prohibited. Photo by Yonhap News

Given this situation, some voices call for the urgent introduction of this policy, pointing out the fundamental need to reduce the use of plastic bags.

Office worker Kim (27) said, "These days, due to COVID-19, I often order delivery food, so naturally, vinyl waste accumulates," adding, "Too much waste is generated just for single-use packaging vinyl." She continued, "It's fortunate if recycled, but if incinerated or landfilled, it becomes a major cause of environmental pollution," emphasizing, "It is right to reduce it for the environment going forward."

There are also opinions that re-packaging makes waste separation and recycling more difficult. Housewife Kim (55) said, "I think it is right to reduce it little by little in this way," adding, "When I go to the supermarket once, there are so many double-packaged products that throwing them away becomes more difficult."

Vinyl is known as one of the main substances polluting the Earth along with plastic. The disposal process of vinyl mainly includes △incineration △landfilling △recycling. However, during incineration, harmful substances to the human body such as dioxins (a Group 1 carcinogen) are emitted. Dioxins also have a significant impact on soil and air pollution.

Moreover, landfilling takes decades for decomposition. Ultimately, proper separation and disposal are essential for vinyl waste to be recycled.

On the other hand, some argue that the policy does not consider consumers adequately. They claim that regulating only promotional vinyl does not significantly help the environment.

Another office worker Choi (33) said, "I don't understand why only vinyl is regulated when other plastic waste is overflowing," adding, "So what if some vinyl is produced? Compared to other countries, Korea does not produce a lot of single-use waste. It just needs to be properly disposed of so it can be recycled."

He further added, "I understand that companies pay recycling fees per kilogram for packaging materials generated throughout the entire process from product sales to consumer distribution. Shouldn't this money be used to handle vinyl waste?"

On the morning of April 2nd, unprocessed recyclables piled up like a mountain at the recycling sorting center in Buk-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News

There are also criticisms that vinyl waste is not being properly separated and disposed of. Recycling is impossible if foreign substances such as food residues or stickers contaminate the vinyl.

According to the Ministry of Environment on the 2nd, the amount of vinyl generated in the first half of this year increased by 11.1% compared to the same period last year. This figure is based on the combined amount processed by public facilities in local governments, and the actual amount is expected to be higher when including private company processing volumes.

Petitions related to environmental pollution regulations are also continuously being submitted. In particular, a petition titled "Please strengthen legal measures against environmental pollution," posted on the 21st, stated, "Until now, we have not fully recognized the changes caused by global warming, which led to excessive use of disposable items such as plastic and vinyl," and urged, "According to the latest OECD statistical yearbook, Korea ranked 6th among 30 member countries in carbon dioxide emissions. Korea must take the lead in preventing environmental pollution," calling for regulation of disposable items like vinyl.

Experts suggest that voluntary participation by citizens is most important as environmental pollution accelerates.

Hong Suyeol, Director of the Resource Circulation Social Economy Research Institute, said, "The government did not ban essential vinyl packaging in this policy. It regulates re-packaging vinyl that is not necessarily needed," analyzing, "It is a good policy aimed at reducing unnecessary waste."

He added, "There is currently a waste crisis caused by vinyl packaging waste. It is right to reduce vinyl waste going forward," advising, "I don't think this policy will cause significant inconvenience to consumers' purchasing behavior. Of course, everyone has different opinions, but it is desirable to reduce what can be reduced for the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.