Before Disposable Cup Deposit System Settles... Ministry of Environment Allows Local Governments Nationwide to Implement Autonomously

The Ministry of Environment has decided to leave the implementation of the disposable cup deposit system to the discretion of local governments.

According to related ministries on the 12th, the Ministry of Environment is reviewing a plan to amend the Resource Recycling Act to allow local governments to decide whether to implement the disposable cup deposit system.

In regions other than Sejong and Jeju, the amendment of the "Designation of Disposable Cup Deposit Target Businesses and Notification of Processing Support Unit Price," which stipulates the implementation of the deposit system before December 2, 2025, is also being reviewed.

The amendment to the Resource Recycling Act, which leaves the implementation of the disposable cup deposit system to local governments, was introduced last month by Kwon Myung-ho, a member of the People Power Party belonging to the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee, and is currently pending in the Environment and Labor Committee.

The disposable cup deposit system currently implemented in Jeju and Sejong was publicly declared for nationwide implementation by the Minister of Environment, but as the ministry is considering effectively leaving it to local government discretion, strong criticism is expected.

In particular, last month the Board of Audit and Inspection demanded that the Ministry of Environment "prepare a plan to expand the deposit system nationwide in accordance with the purpose of the law," and since the ministry has announced plans to amend the law, the controversy is expected to intensify.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Environment's data, from December last year to this month, the number of returned disposable cups was 3,137,636, with a return rate of 39%. During the same period, the amount refunded was 941.3 million won, with Jeju Province accounting for 76.98 million won and Sejong City 17.15 million won.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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