Gradual Ban on Disposable Paper Cups in Cafes... Schedule to Be Set Within Year

The government is resuming regulations on the use of disposable paper cups inside cafe stores.

The Ministry of Climate has included plans in its recent presidential work report to expand the ban on in-store use from disposable plastic cups to paper cups.

Unlike plastic cups, which are banned from in-store use, paper cups currently face virtually no regulations.

The Ministry of Climate has set a policy to ban their use starting with larger establishments based on store "area," and independent cafes are also expected to be included in the scope.

This takes into account past equity controversies between "small franchise stores" and "large independent cafes" when the disposable cup deposit system was applied only to franchise stores.

Criteria such as areas of 33 square meters or more and 100 square meters or more are currently being discussed as initial application standards.

The Ministry of Climate plans to consult with the industry to establish standards and a schedule within the year.

Currently, there are no regulations after the Ministry of Environment withdrew the measure banning the use of paper cups in food service establishments in November 2023, citing the "burden on small business owners and self-employed individuals."

The Ministry of Environment estimated the number of disposable cups used in 2022 at 23.1 billion, of which 17.2 billion were paper cups.

The Ministry of Climate also decided to include disposable plastic cups under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme within the year, imposing recycling obligations on producers.

A significant number of franchises that receive cups through Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) methods will also be subject to these obligations.

Currently, plastic cups are not subject to EPR and do not receive recycling subsidies, meaning that even when separated and discharged, they often lack profitability and are incinerated.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.