(Background)

The sub statutes of the "Act on the Promotion of Savings and Recycling of Resources" requiring the evaluation of packaging materials and their structure are amended to ban the use of PVC, colored plastic bottles, and general adhesives for plastic bottles, etc. 

(Grievance)

From 2020, the grading and labelling of packaging materials becomes mandatory when a producer reports the use of those packaging materials. In addition, producers with extended recycling responsibility may be imposed of incentive/penalty by taking into account the ease of recycling the packaging materials and recycling cost, etc. 

(Resolution) 

A grace period is provided to ensure that business owners have sufficient time to comply with the new regulations and to prevent confusion. 

In amending sub statues of the Act, a consultative body* consisting of industry representatives and experts have collected and gathered a range of opinions. 

* Organizations producing and recycling the materials like PVCs and colored plastic bottles, representatives from packaging material production industry, experts, etc. 

(Result)

The governments provides 9 months of the grace period (from December 25, 2019 through September 24, 2020) for evaluating the grading of container recycling.