Next year, residents of large apartment complexes will be required to separate paper packs, such as milk cartons, from regular waste. In preparation for this mandate, the government will begin a pilot program next month in approximately 144,000 apartments nationwide to encourage the separate disposal of paper packs.
The Ministry of Climate Energy and Environment announced on September 21 that it will sign a memorandum of understanding at the Hansol Paper Daejeon plant with related companies and organizations to improve the paper pack recycling system.
Participants in the agreement include major producers of recyclable paper packs, such as Seoul Milk and Maeil Dairy, along with the Paper Pack Recycling Council, Hansol Paper, Ssangyong C&B, SIG Combibloc Korea, Tetra Pak, the Korea Packaging Recycling Business Cooperative, and the Korea Resource Circulation Support Center.
Paper packs, made from high-quality materials like natural pulp, have significant recycling value. However, a large quantity is often discarded in general waste bags or mixed with regular paper, leading to issues in the recycling process where they are not properly sorted and end up being incinerated.
Starting next month, the government will implement voluntary separate disposal of paper packs in about 144,000 mandatory management apartment complexes, which include those with 300 or more households.
Following this, the government plans to revise the guidelines on the separate collection of recyclable resources to make the separation of paper packs mandatory in these complexes starting January 1, 2027.
Private companies will also work to establish a circular system that encompasses the production, collection, sorting, and recycling of paper packs.
Producers like Seoul Milk and Maeil Dairy will share the costs of collection, sorting, and recycling of paper packs and will increase their purchase of recycled paper products. Manufacturers will develop technologies to enhance recyclability from the design stage and support the installation of optical sorting machines to improve sorting systems.
The recycling industry will focus on producing high-quality recycled products from sorted paper packs. The Korea Packaging Recycling Business Cooperative and the Korea Resource Circulation Support Center will manage recycling performance, provide recycling support funds, and conduct public awareness campaigns.
Through these efforts, the government aims to establish a 'closed loop' resource circulation system, ensuring that paper packs are recycled back into raw materials and products. This initiative is expected to stabilize the supply of high-quality recycled pulp and invigorate the domestic recycling market.
Minister of Climate Energy and Environment Kim Seong-hwan stated, "This agreement is a significant commitment to connect the entire process of paper pack production to recycling within a single circular system. We will do our utmost to establish a stable paper pack recycling system on the ground, including building a separation disposal framework and providing policy support."
The Ministry of Climate Energy and Environment announced on September 21 that it will sign a memorandum of understanding at the Hansol Paper Daejeon plant with related companies and organizations to improve the paper pack recycling system.
Participants in the agreement include major producers of recyclable paper packs, such as Seoul Milk and Maeil Dairy, along with the Paper Pack Recycling Council, Hansol Paper, Ssangyong C&B, SIG Combibloc Korea, Tetra Pak, the Korea Packaging Recycling Business Cooperative, and the Korea Resource Circulation Support Center.
Paper packs, made from high-quality materials like natural pulp, have significant recycling value. However, a large quantity is often discarded in general waste bags or mixed with regular paper, leading to issues in the recycling process where they are not properly sorted and end up being incinerated.
Starting next month, the government will implement voluntary separate disposal of paper packs in about 144,000 mandatory management apartment complexes, which include those with 300 or more households.
Following this, the government plans to revise the guidelines on the separate collection of recyclable resources to make the separation of paper packs mandatory in these complexes starting January 1, 2027.
Private companies will also work to establish a circular system that encompasses the production, collection, sorting, and recycling of paper packs.
Producers like Seoul Milk and Maeil Dairy will share the costs of collection, sorting, and recycling of paper packs and will increase their purchase of recycled paper products. Manufacturers will develop technologies to enhance recyclability from the design stage and support the installation of optical sorting machines to improve sorting systems.
The recycling industry will focus on producing high-quality recycled products from sorted paper packs. The Korea Packaging Recycling Business Cooperative and the Korea Resource Circulation Support Center will manage recycling performance, provide recycling support funds, and conduct public awareness campaigns.
Through these efforts, the government aims to establish a 'closed loop' resource circulation system, ensuring that paper packs are recycled back into raw materials and products. This initiative is expected to stabilize the supply of high-quality recycled pulp and invigorate the domestic recycling market.
Minister of Climate Energy and Environment Kim Seong-hwan stated, "This agreement is a significant commitment to connect the entire process of paper pack production to recycling within a single circular system. We will do our utmost to establish a stable paper pack recycling system on the ground, including building a separation disposal framework and providing policy support."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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