Seoul, April 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) The use of disposable items, such as single-use plastic cups and cutlery, has been prohibited in cafes and restaurants across South Korea under a new environmental regulation that went into force on Friday.
It marks a reinstatement of the Environmental Ministry's anti-disposable law that first went into effect in 2018, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Its enforcement was temporarily lifted in the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 amid concerns reusable cafe drinkware could be a source of virus infection.
The Ministry has, however, decided to bring it back as the prolonged pandemic led to a surge of waste.
Under the latest regulation, 18 disposable items, including single-use serveware, cutlery, toothpicks and plastic tablecloths, are banned for use inside cafes and restaurants.
Cafes and restaurants are also prohibited from providing free plastic or other disposable bags, except paper bags.
Several new items, such as plastic straws, stir sticks and paper cups, will go into the prohibition list on November 24, the Ministry said.
A violation could lead to fines according to the frequency of infringement and the size of stores, but the Ministry said it is planning to rely on administrative guidance and instruction, rather than penalties, to ensure compliance until the pandemic situation subsides.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz