The government is moving to make the use of reusable containers mandatory at funeral halls nationwide, according to reports on the 23rd. The move follows the assessment that a pilot program requiring reusable containers and banning disposable ones at five large hospital funeral halls in Seoul has been effective.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment is said to have included a plan to mandate reusable containers at funeral halls nationwide in its "comprehensive plan to phase out plastic." Funeral halls across the country use about 42 million disposable plates a year, accounting for 20% of total domestic usage (about 210 million). The government expects that mandating reusable items at funeral halls will yield immediate reductions in disposable waste.
The use of reusable containers at funeral halls is being implemented on a limited basis in Seoul. Funeral halls at five hospitals, including Samsung Medical Center, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul Boramae Medical Center, Dongbu Municipal Hospital, and Veterans Health Service Medical Center, are using reusable containers with partial expense support from the central government and the Seoul city government. The disposable waste reduced by these hospitals from 2023 through Oct. this year alone amounts to 522 tons.
However, the use of reusable containers at funeral halls is not mandatory. As of the end of 2023, only 114 out of 1,076 funeral halls nationwide (10.6%) are using reusable containers.
The ministry plans to comprehensively review whether to expand support for reusable containers and whether to implement phased mandates after checking the washing and kitchen facility infrastructure and expense structures at funeral halls nationwide.
A government official said, "We are reviewing whether to regulate funeral halls that are fully equipped with washing and kitchen facilities that can handle reusable containers, or to differentiate regulations by funeral hall size," adding, "We will collect related opinions through various meetings, including a public forum."