From April 1, Ban on Single-Use Plastic Cups in Changwon City

Deposit System Implementation, Plastic Bags Banned at Convenience Stores and Bakeries

Starting April 1, Changwon City in Gyeongnam will ban the use of disposable plastic cups inside food service establishments.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Starting from April, the use of disposable plastic cups inside food service establishments such as restaurants and cafes will be completely banned in Changwon City, Gyeongnam.

Following the Ministry of Environment's announcement of the revised exemption list for disposable product use regulations on January 6 this year, Changwon City will ban the use of disposable plastic cups from April 1, and from November 24, the use of disposable paper cups, plastic straws, and plastic stirring sticks will also be prohibited.

Plastic bags, which were banned in large stores and supermarkets, will no longer be allowed in convenience stores and bakeries as well.

Plastic umbrella covers will not be provided in large stores, and plastic cheering items will also be prohibited in sports facilities.

Prior to the Ministry of Environment's revision of the disposable product announcement, the city enacted and implemented the "Changwon City Public Institution Disposable Product Use Restriction Ordinance" in October 2019.

To curb the increase in plastic and paper cup usage following the relaxation of disposable cup regulations after COVID-19 and to raise citizens' environmental awareness and promote the habitual use of reusable products, the city has designated the "Challenge! Conscience Tumbler Day" and holds a campaign on the 10th of every month.

As trash from cafes around the city hall increased, causing serious environmental issues, the city launched the "Changwon Doldol Cup" policy, meaning "return and receive shared tumblers."

With Changwon Doldol Cup, shared tumblers used at partner cafes can be returned to the return boxes installed at the respective cafes or the city hall.

The Ministry of Environment will implement a disposable cup deposit system starting June 10 at coffee shops, fast food outlets, and other places, including a 300 KRW resource circulation deposit per disposable cup in the product price.

This applies mainly to plastic cups used for cold drinks and paper cups used for hot drinks, excluding reusable plastic cups or mugs that are washed and reused.

Consumers pay a deposit when purchasing a drink in a disposable cup and can return the cup to the store where the drink was purchased or other franchise stores to get the deposit refunded.

From April, the city will focus on education and promotional activities to encourage proper separation and disposal of recyclable resources and reduce disposable product use, and will implement a waste separation helper project to ensure early establishment of the system and promote the habitual use of reusable products.

Kim Taesoon, head of the Resource Circulation Division, said, "We plan to inform the public to reduce disposable product use in line with the revised enforcement rules to transition to a circular economy society," adding, "We hope related industries and citizens actively participate so that the culture of using reusable products spreads widely."

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