South Korea plans to reduce plastic waste by reducing the production of plastic products and increasing the recycling rate, the Ministry of Environment announced on Dec. 24. By 2025, South Korea plans to reduce plastic waste by 20% and increase the recycling rate of used plastics to 70% from the current 54%.
The Korean Ministry of Environment reportedly said it will gradually reduce the use of plastics from the production stage, reuse used household plastic waste as raw material, or extract oil in order to increase the recycling rate of plastic products.
Announced blueprint for plastics
To reduce the production and use of plastic containers from the current 47% to 38% of the total plastic containers by 2025. To this end, the government is communicating with relevant industries to adjust the target to the characteristics of each industry.
By 2030, the use of single-use plastic bags will be completely banned in all businesses. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions caused by plastic will be reduced by 30% in 2030.
By 2050, petroleum-based plastics will be completely replaced by bioplastics, paving the way for a plastic-free society.
In addition, South Korea will completely ban the import of plastic waste from overseas starting in 2022.
The plan is to gradually move to 100% of everyday items being made from biomass and 45% of bioplastics becoming available for corporate use. Similarly, starting in the New Year of 2022, bioplastics will be labeled as such, indicating that they can be recycled.
There is also a requirement to provide more stores with refills of daily essentials such as shampoo and conditioner. Petroleum-based plastics are known to take more than 500 years to decompose, while bioplastics take six months to one year.
Korea strongly supports companies in the biodegradable bioplastics industry
In addition, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources held a meeting on innovation growth strategy on Dec. 3 and decided on the "Strategy for Promoting White Bio-Industry" developed by the Bio-Industry Innovation Task Force (TF), according to the United News on Dec. 3. White biology is an industry that uses renewable resources such as plants and microorganisms and enzymes to replace existing chemical industrial materials with biological ones.
The core of the technology is a plastic made from plant biomass such as corn, which is easily decomposed by microorganisms in the soil and is very environmentally friendly.
In order to increase investment by private companies and promote the development and diffusion of bioplastics, the government has decided to strengthen support for productization and new material development. It will develop 15 types of bioplastic products such as packaging materials and lifestyle-friendly products using commercial biodegradable materials such as PLA and PBAT, and gradually expand the popularity and promotion of bioplastics.
