As the government pushes a plan to charge separately for disposable cups at cafes and elsewhere, concerns are rising across sectors. While there is agreement with the aim of reducing plastic use, it is uncertain whether the policy will work properly in the field.
The plan to charge separately for disposable cups when drinking beverages at cafes was announced on the 17th when the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment gave a presidential briefing. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment plans to revise the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources next year to ban free provision of disposable cups at cafes and elsewhere starting in 2027. Violations could result in fines and other penalties for business operators.
According to the retail industry on the 21st, shortly after talk emerged of converting plastic disposable cups to paid items to reduce their use, consumer groups and others expressed concerns that prices for coffee and other beverages would rise. Although the policy is being pursued on the premise that a reduction in plastic disposable cup use is necessary to drive change for environmental protection, many expect inconveniences and side effects.
Currently, for example, the price of a 3,800-won Americano includes the cost of a disposable cup. If the anti-plastic policy is implemented, it would make sense to lower the coffee price to 3,600 won and add only 200 won for the cup, but in reality the price of a 3,800-won Americano is likely to be sold at 4,000 won with an additional 200 won for the disposable cup. Hong Su-yeol, head of the Resource Recycling Society Economic Research Institute, said, "It is unclear how to distinguish the price of the cup from the beverage cost, so only the coffee price could rise."
In the franchise industry, how to calculate the price of disposable cups is a concern. Some have exact supply prices, but others bundle them with other ingredients before passing them on to store owners. The wide variation in disposable cup prices by franchise is another worry. An official at a franchise company said, "The price at which we procure disposable cups and pass them on to store owners will inevitably differ slightly by company, and it is burdensome for this to be disclosed."
Among small business owners with smaller operations, there is talk that pricing for consumers will become more difficult. That is because they had been offering about a 1,000-won discount to takeout customers who did not use the premises. They took into account cleanup expense and turnover. However, if a price is set on disposable cups, the discount passed on to consumers will inevitably shrink. A self-employed person in Gayang-dong, Gangseo District, Seoul, said, "By offering discounts to takeout customers, we had price competitiveness over low-cost franchise coffee, but if the anti-plastic policy is implemented, we will have to recalculate."
The fact that there was significant confusion when the mandatory paper straw system was introduced and then deferred in the past is another reason for rising concern about the anti-plastic policy. In particular, this time the scope is broad enough to include paper cups as well as disposable cups in the ban on free provision.
An official at a kids' cafe in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, said, "Parents need to use paper cups to share small amounts of beverages with their young children," and added, "If we switch all of this to tableware, both store owners and consumers will be inconvenienced. They say paper cups also cannot be provided free of charge, so it seems the dishwashing load will increase tremendously."
Lee Jae-myung, the president who received the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment's briefing on the 17th, is also aware that complaints could arise on the ground. Immediately after receiving the briefing, Lee said, "When creating a system, you have to consider feasibility and public convenience in full, but when only the necessity is considered, resistance arises, criticism follows, and the credibility of the policy suffers." He added, "There are many such aspects in environmental policy, and I would like particular care to be taken."
Policies to reduce the use of plastic disposable cups were first implemented under Moon Jae-in. At the time, a "disposable cup deposit system" was introduced in which customers paid a 300-won deposit when receiving a beverage in a disposable cup and got the deposit back upon returning the cup. However, complaints grew among both store owners and consumers that it was inconvenient, and it became nominal under Yoon Suk-yeol.
Jang Yong-cheol, a professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering at Chungnam National University, said, "Various policies must be pursued in parallel to solve the problem of excessive use of disposable products," and added, "A flexible approach is needed."