The Seoul government of South Korea announced on May 20 that from September 2024, the revised “Seoul Municipal Waste Management Regulations” will come into effect, and events attended by more than 1,000 people in Seoul will ban the use of single-use containers, the Institute of Biodegradable Materials reported.
Event organisers will also be required to develop a waste reduction plan at the event planning stage to develop environmentally conscious habits.
Stadiums and funeral parlors in Seoul generate a lot of plastic waste due to frequent gatherings. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that from the second half of this year, major private funeral homes, including Samsung Seoul Hospital Funeral Homes, will use reusable tableware. In April this year, 38 restaurants in the Jamsil baseball stadium have started using reusable tableware.
To support the plastic-free transition, the government will provide financial support to relevant institutions and enterprises. It is estimated that this initiative will reduce the waste generated by these venues by about 80% per year.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will also fully implement the “Bring Your Own Cup Points Campaign” from the second half of the year. Consumers can bring their own cups to join stores and use specific payment platforms to purchase drinks, and can earn 300 points for each purchase, with a maximum of 9,000 points per month, and the points can be converted into cash.
The push for a greener approach isn’t limited to public gatherings, as reusable containers will be rolled out at major private funeral homes, including Samsung Seoul Hospital Funeral Home, in the second half of this year. (Courtesy of Pixabay/CCL)
In addition to these initiatives, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has provided subsidies for small cafes to purchase paper straws or alternative straws since May 13 to encourage people to ditch plastic straws.
Yonhap News Agency said that thanks to the efforts of all parties, the city of Seoul has reduced 378 tons of single-use plastic waste in the past two years since the launch of the “Zero Waste Seoul” initiative in 2022, which is equivalent to a reduction of 10.39 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Article sources: Korea JoongAng Daily, Beijing News, Xinhua News Agency …
