Via a reader tip comes news that South Korea will no longer ban plastic straws or single use cups due to the burden it is putting on small business owners:
“It is not the government’s duty to impose another burden on small business owners and self-employed people when they are already suffering from difficult economic conditions,” Lim told reporters during the briefing.
The Environment Ministry also pointed out that paper straws, an alternative to plastic straws, are 2 1/2 times more expensive but have lower consumer satisfaction.
“The use of plastic straws and stirring bars will be banned when the quality of replacement products is improved and the prices stabilize,” said Lee, without clarifying a specific time frame.
Although the ministry claims it has considered various situations, including the economic burden on consumers, criticism of the massive retreat on eco-friendly policies seems inevitable.
There is more than just plastic straws that cause problems for bird and marine life, but this is a small way to start mitigating plastic pollution:
An activist clad in a turtle costume urges the government to ban use of plastic straws at restaurants and coffee shops, during a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap
The debate on banning on single-use plastic straws to cut plastic waste is clashing with the pursuit of convenience.
As over 10 billion plastic straws are used every year in Korea, environmental groups are calling for a ban on disposable plastic products to reduce litter and other environmental consequences of plastic waste.
However, some claim such a move is premature given that an abrupt ban without proper alternatives can inconvenience consumers.
The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement held a press conference Tuesday, urging the government to ban use of plastic straws by law. It is gathering signatures both on and offline to support the plan.
“The current law does not recognize plastic straws as a disposable product thus they are not subjected to government rules on their free use at restaurants or coffee shops,” the environmental group said in its statement. “Plastic straws cause not only air pollution, but also soil contamination and harm to marine life.”
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