PLASTIC CONSUMPTION INCREASES OVER VIRUS

[Anchor Lead]

Takeouts and food deliveries have become more common with people refraining from eating out in recent days over the virus. But this has unfortunately increased the volume of plastic containers used for packaging. Then how can people enjoy delivered food while reducing the use of plastic? We take a look

[Pkg]

​Office worker Choi In-seon ordered a lunchbox today instead of going out to eat.

[Soundbite] "Enjoy your meal."

Such practices both at home and at work have been common during the pandemic. One delivery app has reported a 60% on-year increase in orders in April. But with more deliveries, the use of plastic has also gone up. Here is a recycled waste separation site where garbage from homes and stores is gathered. First the recyclable trash is piled up in a huge mound before it can be separated. A peak into one plastic bag shows leftover food remaining in a plastic container. In other cases, vinyl wrapping remains attached to plastic containers while unrecyclable waste that belongs in a standard garbage bag is also jumbled together. Such cases hinder the separation process. Also, plastic containers come in different materials and printed surfaces also need to be cleaned, raising the recycling cost.

[Soundbite] LEE WOO-SEON(RESOURCES FIRM) : "The lack of uniformity lengthens the process and involves more manpower."

The environment ministry has laid out measures to reduce plastic use by 20% through efforts, such as making thinner containers in limited amounts. Also to make recycling easier, measures will be sought with the industry to have the same material being used with no printing on the surface. Consumers can also do their part by separating recyclable waste and avoid using plastic the best they can by bringing containers from home when ordering takeout. Compared to its brief use, plastic takes up to 500 years to decompose.