Make plastic packaging less confusing, scientists warn

If you want people to recycle compostable plastics appropriately, they need more help understanding how to do it. That is one of the conclusions of a new study of university campuses on both sides of the Atlantic, carried out by scientists at the University of Surrey and Imperial College London.

Dr Zoe M Harris, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, and co-author of the study, said: “The vast majority of our plastic waste goes to landfill, or worse, into nature. Meanwhile, recycling plastic at home can be challenging. One solution has been to develop compostable plastics, which, when certified, may be biodegraded alongside our food waste and turned into compost.

“Yet that only works if people place compostable plastics in the appropriate bin. Our study suggests that many simply don’t.”

Certified industrially compostable plastics have been designed and tested to break down under conditions found in industrial composting.

To study why some people recycle these plastics appropriately while others do not, the team surveyed communities at Imperial College London and the University of California, Davis.

They studied the recycling systems on both campuses, carrying out focus groups and surveys to identify the factors that could influence disposal practices. They then applied a method called network analysis, which maps the relations between factors and disposal practices to investigate which factors might be most influential.

The scientists found that the more knowledgeable about biodegradable plastics and recycling a person was, the more likely they were to dispose of biodegradable plastics alongside food waste.

While knowledge was important, having access to the right infrastructure was essential. Participants at the University of California, who had more access to a food waste bin (78% vs 57%) than their counterparts at Imperial College London, were, in turn, significantly more likely to recycle their biodegradable plastics in that bin (71% vs 45%).

Dr Sarah Kakadellis, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Food Science at University of California, Davis, and lead author of the study, said: “If we want biodegradable plastic alternatives to deliver on their sustainability potential, we need to understand how and where they are used. Providing the appropriate waste collection and treatment infrastructure is essential to close the loop.

“But we also need to make sure consumers can easily tell the difference between which plastics they can put in the food waste bin and those they cannot. The terminology around biodegradable plastics can be truly misleading — stricter labelling rules and stronger producer responsibility are needed.”

Biodegradable microplastics disappear in just seven months

Microplastics can take 100-1,000 years to degrade. Now, thanks to a research breakthrough, they can do it in just seven months.

Microplastics are tiny, nearly indestructible fragments shed from everyday plastic products. As we learn more about microplastics, the news keeps getting worse. Already well-documented in our oceans and soil, we’re now discovering them in the unlikeliest of places: our arteries, lungs and even placentas.

Microplastics can take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years to break down and, in the meantime, our planet and bodies are becoming more polluted with these materials every day.

Finding viable alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics and microplastics has never been more important. New research from scientists at the University of California San Diego and materials science company Algenesis shows that their plant-based polymers biodegrade – even at the microplastic level – in under seven months.

“We’re just starting to understand the implications of microplastics. We’ve only scratched the surface of knowing the environmental and health impacts,” stated Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Michael Burkart, one of the paper’s authors and an Algenesis co-founder.

“We’re trying to find replacements for materials that already exist, and make sure these replacements will biodegrade at the end of their useful life instead of collecting in the environment. That’s not easy.”

“When we first created these algae-based polymers about six years ago, our intention was always that it be completely biodegradable,” said Robert Pomeroy, Professor of chemistry and biochemistry and an Algenesis co-founder.

“We had plenty of data to suggest that our material was disappearing in the compost, but this is the first time we’ve measured it at the microparticle level.”

Putting it to the test

To test its biodegradability, the team ground their product into fine microparticles, and used three different measurement tools to confirm that, when placed in a compost, the material was being digested by microbes.

The first tool was a respirometer. When the microbes break down compost material, they release carbon dioxide (CO2), which the respirometer measures. These results were compared to the breakdown of cellulose, which is considered the industry standard of 100 percent biodegradability. The plant-based polymer matched the cellulose at almost one hundred percent.

Next, the team used water flotation. Since plastics are not water soluble and they float, they can easily be scooped off the surface of water. At intervals of 90 and 200 days, almost 100 percent of the petroleum-based microplastics were recovered, meaning none of it had biodegraded.

On the other hand, after 90 days, only 32 percent of the algae-based microplastics were recovered, showing that more than two-thirds had biodegraded. After 200 days, only three percent was recovered indicating that 97 percent of it had disappeared.

The last measurement involved chemical analysis via gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GCMS), which detected the presence of the monomers used to make the plastic, indicating that the polymer was being broken into its starting plant materials. Scanning electron microscopy further showed how microorganisms colonise the biodegradable microplastics during composting.

“This material is the first plastic demonstrated to not create microplastics as we use it,” said Stephen Mayfield, a paper coauthor, School of Biological Sciences Professor and co-founder of Algenesis.

“This is more than just a sustainable solution for the end-of-product life cycle and our crowded landfills. This is actually plastic that is not going to make us sick.”

Creating an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based plastics is only one part of the long road to viability. The ongoing challenge is to be able to use the new material on pre-existing manufacturing equipment that was originally built for traditional plastic, and here Algenesis is making progress.

They have partnered with several companies to make products that use the plant-based polymers developed at UC San Diego, including Trelleborg for use in coated fabrics and RhinoShield for use in the production of smartphone cases.

“When we started this work, we were told it was impossible,” stated Burkart.

“Now we see a different reality. There’s a lot of work to be done, but we want to give people hope. It is possible.”

An Phat Holdings affirmed its role and contribution at the Forum organized by ESCAP United Nations

On February 29, in Bangkok, Thailand, An Phat Holdings Group attended the Regional Forum on Policies to Promote the Private Sector Engagement in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP) under the United Nations organized as speakers, affirming the leading role of businesses and contributing ideas in reducing plastic waste.

Representing Vietnam in the session “STI Partnership for Sustainable Development” within the framework of the Forum, Mr. Le Anh Minh –  R&D Director of An Phat Holdings presented solutions to apply science and technology in the production of green and environmentally friendly products.

Mr. Le Anh Minh – R&D Director of An Phat Holdings presented at the Forum

According to Mr. Minh, An Phat Holdings, with its green production orientation, towards sustainable development, has researched and self-developed many technologies to modernize production such as digital transformation for each stage, continuously improving product formulas to help reduce production waste to almost zero, or installing solar power to help reduce the load on the power grid and effectively cool the factory. Those are some of the solutions on the path to help An Phat Holdings move towards carbon balance, closer to sustainable production and development.

Mr. Minh said that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has recently revised the standards for eco-labels to include specific guidelines for biodegradable and recyclable products. This update has made these products more competitive in the market and has created favorable conditions for businesses to develop environmentally friendly products like those produced by An Phat Holdings.

Introducing at the Forum, the representative of An Phat Holdings said that after 2 years of being listed on the Amazon e-commerce platform, the Group’s AnEco brand of completely compostable biological products has increased revenue and profit by 3,183% from 2021 – 2022, receiving very good feedback and becoming the top best-selling compostable bag brands on Amazon in the US by the end of 2023. This shows that green, environmentally friendly products are increasingly accepted and will continue to develop in the future.

“We are honored to be a business that can contribute opinions on STI in sustainable development at the ESCAP Regional Forum and An Phat Holdings will continue its research, development and improvement activities for products and production processes, contributing to maintaining its position as a leading high-tech and environmentally friendly plastic manufacturer in Southeast Asia to continue contributing to the reduction of plastic waste in the region as a whole. particular and the world in general”, Mr. Le Anh Minh shared.

Regional Forum on Policies to Promote Private Sector Engagement in Science, Technology and Innovation took place on February 29, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the most inclusive intergovernmental platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The Commission promotes cooperation among its 53 member States and 9 associate members in pursuit of solutions to sustainable development challenges. ESCAP is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations.

In alignment with the South-South and Triangular Collaboration Programme on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) among Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam (CLTV), the United Nations ESCAP is organizing a Regional Forum on Policies to Promote Private Sector Engagement in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). This forum is the culmination of ESCAP’s advisory support on policies to promote private sector engagement in STI, and it builds upon two years of collective efforts under the Collaboration Programme. The event is designed to serve as a dynamic platform for the introduction of the Workbook on Policies to Promote Private Sector Engagement in STI developed to provide policymakers and STI practitioners with practical guidance on private sector engagement in STI. This forum aspires to be a cornerstone event, catalyzing dialogue and action towards a more integrated and innovative regional STI ecosystem. It invites policymakers, STI practitioners, and private sector stakeholders from the CLTV region to contribute to a future where science, technology, and innovation are pivotal to sustainable development and economic resilience.

Partnership for world’s first PET biorecycling plant

Nhựa PET thường được sử dụng để sản xuất chai nhựa, hộp đựng thực phẩm và sợi thủ công trong may mặc

CARBIOS (Clermont-Ferrand, France) and De Smet Engineers & Contractors (Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium) enter an engineering partnership for the construction of the world’s first PET “biorecycling” plant.

PET is the most common type of plastic used for single use beverage bottle, food container, and polyester fiber…
PET is the most common type of plastic used for single use beverage bottle, food container, and polyester fiber…

Carbios and De Smet Engineers & Contractors jointly announce their collaboration to spearhead the construction of the world’s first PET biorecycling plant. Under the agreement, De Smet has been entrusted with the project management and detailed engineering, including procurement assistance and Carbios partners’ management, to ensure the execution of the plant’s construction in Longlaville, France, due for commissioning in 2025. Carbios’ first commercial facility will play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution by offering an industrial-scale solution for the enzymatic depolymerization of PET waste to accelerate a circular economy for plastic and textiles.

With over 70 members of De Smet’s expert team dedicated to the project and working alongside Carbios teams, the collaboration aims to guarantee the project timeline and budget while upholding stringent quality, safety, health, and environmental standards. Construction is currently underway and on schedule.

About the world’s first PET biorecycling plant

Carbios’ technology enables PET circularity and provides an alternative raw material to petro-sourced monomers, allowing PET producers, waste management companies, public entities, and brands to have an efficient solution to meet regulatory requirements and fulfil their own sustainability commitments. The plant will have a processing capacity of 50,000 tonnes of post-consumer PET waste per year (equivalent to 2 billion coloured PET bottles, 2.5 billion PET trays, or 300 million T-shirts) and will address waste with little or no value to date such as coloured PET bottles, food trays, and textiles. The plant will create 150 direct and indirect jobs in the region. In October 2023, Carbios obtained the building and site operating permits. The plant is currently under construction in Longlaville in the Grand-Est Region on land officially acquired from Indorama Ventures on 14 February 2024.

Source: bioplasticsmagazine.com

Hong Kong to ban throwaway plastic tableware from April 2024

Hong Kong will ban throwaway plastic tableware from restaurants from April 22 next year, a few months later than first planned, after lawmakers approved the legislation on Wednesday.

The ban will come into force just weeks after charging for municipal solid waste bags starts on April 1, and some lawmakers said they had concerns about potential problems from the two policies coming into force in quick succession.

“The close commencement dates will create difficulties for the industry,” Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, of the catering functional constituency, predicted.

“I hope the ban will not be introduced before May 1 so as to give the industry some more space between the waste charging and this ban.”

Cheung also appealed to restaurants to avoid building up stocks of single-use plastics to avoid a breach of the new rules after the law changes and to source alternatives as soon as possible.

The ban will be introduced in two phases, with the first prohibiting the sale and distribution of disposable plastic tableware, such as expanded polystyrene containers, plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery.

The first phase also covers products that have non-plastic alternatives, such as cotton buds, umbrella covers and glow sticks.

Hotels and guest houses will be barred from supplying toiletries in synthetic disposable containers and free in-room water in plastic bottles.

Phase two, which could start as early as 2025, will outlaw plastic food containers and the free distribution of products such as plastic-stemmed dental floss and earplugs.

Environmental authorities have set up an online platform with advice on non-plastic disposable tableware supply, renting cutlery and cleaning services to help the catering industry, suppliers and the public.

The Environment and Ecology Bureau in March said it aimed to start the ban late this year or at the beginning of 2024 “at the earliest”.

But it said last week that the new law would come into effect in the second quarter of next year.
Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat, the chairwoman of the environmental affairs panel, explained the legislation would have “a far-reaching impact, not only on people’s lives, but also on the industry” and needed detailed discussions to clear up misunderstandings.

Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Tse Chin-wan said authorities would mostly issue warnings to offenders in the first two months of the ban, but would then move to enforcement action.
The Environmental Protection Department will also set up a telephone hotline to deal with public inquiries and complaints, he added.

Lawmaker Cheung asked environmental officials to assess the ban’s impact on the economy and the public before phase two began.

“If the impact is serious, I think authorities shouldn’t be afraid to wait a little longer,” he said.
Gary Chan Hak-kan, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said the government should help change restaurants’ habits, as they now tended to include single-use cutlery in takeaway orders.

Wholesale and retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai warned the public to be prepared for restaurateurs to pass on additional costs to them.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” he said. “The price difference between plastic tableware and substitute products for takeout is not by a few percentage points, but maybe by several times.”
Shiu also appealed to authorities to encourage employers to acquire reusable utensils for their staff.
Tony Tse Wai-chuen, of the architectural, surveying, planning and landscape functional constituency, added the government should increase its efforts to promote reuse and recycling to cut waste at source.

But environmentalists appealed to the government to introduce the ban as soon as possible and to avoid delays to the introduction of phase two.

“Early implementation of the single-use plastics ban can help residents change their living habits before the implementation of garbage charges on April 1,” Greeners Action’s Beatrice Siu Wing-yin said.
“Now that the two laws will come into force only 22 days apart, people have to adapt to both in a short time, which may cause a more tremendous backlash than the original arrangement.”

Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam Wing-lam said the government should give a firm start date for phase two and launch a publicity campaign.

“Besides banning plastics, governments in other places are investing resources to promote reuse to replace disposable tableware,” Tam said. “Otherwise, the industry will switch to disposable tableware made of other materials, significantly reducing the effectiveness of waste reduction.”

The solid waste charging scheme will mean the public must buy government-designated plastic bags, which will come in nine sizes, with each litre of capacity priced at 11 HK cents (1.4 US cents).
There will also be a six-month grace period after the regulation comes into force.

U.S. Democrats introduce bill to tax ‘virgin plastic’ sales, including imports

Democrats in the House and Senate on Tuesday introduced a bill to curb plastic waste by imposing a new tax on U.S. manufacturers, producers and importers of “virgin plastic” resin destined for single-use plastics.

Sen. Shelden Whitehouse (D-OH), who sits on the Senate Finance and Environment and Public Works committees, and Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) of the House Ways & Means Committee introduced the “REDUCE Act,” which would initially add an excise tax of 10 cents per pound (eventually rising to 20 cents) to sales of virgin plastic resin used in single-use products like packaging, food and drink containers and bags, according to a Sept.19 statement from Doggett’s office.

A spokesperson in Doggett’s office told Inside U.S. Trade the tax would be applied to imported products and “any company – U.S. or foreign – would be impacted.”

Virgin plastic resin, manufactured from natural resources, has not been previously used in consumer goods, while recycled plastic resin is derived from used plastic products. Every year, each American produces around 221 kilograms of plastic waste, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and lawmakers are exploring ways to promote recycling and reduce plastic pollution.

“We are living with a flood of plastic pollution,” said Whitehouse, a longtime environmental advocate, in Tuesday’s statement. “A polluter fee would hold the biggest plastics companies accountable for the damage they’ve caused and increase the amount of plastic that actually gets recycled.”

Exports and recycled plastic resin would be exempt. The bill also includes several carveouts for virgin plastics used to make medical products and packaging, personal hygiene products and for use in the shipment of hazardous materials. Small businesses also would be exempt, as would importers of small amounts of plastics.

The bill is not Whitehouse’s first attempt to implement an excise tax on virgin plastic resin. In 2021, the senator introduced a similar bill that did not advance past the committee stage. Critics of that bill, including the TaxFoundation – a tax policy think tank in Washington, DC – argued that the bill’s rebate for exempted products would place new and unnecessary administrative burdens on companies.

This time, lawmakers worked with the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service “to design an up-front exemption for companies that go through an annual registration process and certify that the resin they make will not be used to make single-use products,” Doggett’s spokesperson told Inside U.S. Trade, saying the approach would resemble mechanisms used in other tax systems.

“Companies that claim they don’t know or can’t certify that their resin won’t be used for single-use products would still have to pay the tax up-front and go through the rebate process,” the spokesperson added.

“We’re excited to see the feedback was taken,” said Adam Hoffer, director of excise tax policy at the TaxFoundation.

Several leading environmental groups, including Greenpeace, Oceana, the Plastic Pollution Coalition and the World Wildlife Fund, have endorsed the legislation, the Doggett statement says.

Source: insidetrade.com

Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds

Japanese scientists have found between 6.7 and 13.9 pieces of microplastic in each litre of cloud water tested.

Researchers in Japan have confirmed that microplastics are present in clouds, where they are likely affecting the climate in ways that are not yet fully understood.

Các nhà khoa học đã tìm thấy hạt vi nhựa trong các đám mây trên đỉnh núi Phú Sỹ (Nhật Bản). Ảnh: Flickr

In a study published in the journal Environmental Chemistry Letters, Japanese scientists climbed Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama in order to collect water from the mists that shroud the peaks, then applied advanced imaging techniques to the samples to determine their physical and chemical properties.

The team identified nine different types of polymers and one type of rubber in the airborne microplastics, which ranged in size from 7.1 to 94.6 micrometres.

Each litre (0.26 gallon) of cloud water tested contained between 6.7 to 13.9 pieces of the plastics.

“If the issue of ‘plastic air pollution’ is not addressed proactively, climate change and ecological risks may become a reality, causing irreversible and serious environmental damage in the future,” lead author of the research, Hiroshi Okochi of Waseda University, warned in a statement on Wednesday.

When microplastics reach the upper atmosphere and are exposed to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, they degrade, contributing to greenhouse gasses, Okochi said.

Microplastics – which are defined as plastic particles under 5 millimetres that come from industrial effluent, textiles, synthetic car tires, personal care products and other sources – have already been discovered inside fish, peppering Arctic sea ice, and in the snows on the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain.

However, the mechanisms of their transport to such varied locations had remained unclear, with research on airborne microplastic transport in particular being limited.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on airborne microplastics in cloud water,” the authors wrote in their paper.

Waseda University said in a statement on Wednesday that research shows that “microplastics are ingested or inhaled by humans and animals alike and have been detected in multiple organs such as lung, heart, blood, placenta, and faeces”.

“Ten million tons of these plastic bits end up in the ocean, released with the ocean spray, and find their way into the atmosphere. This implies that microplastics may have become an essential component of clouds, contaminating nearly everything we eat and drink via ‘plastic rainfall’”, the university said in announcing the new research findings.

Emerging evidence has linked microplastics to a range of effects on heart and lung health, as well as cancers, in addition to widespread environmental harm.

Plastic businesses need a roadmap to convert to green product production

Although there are still many challenges, converting green product production is considered an inevitable trend for plastic businesses, especially when the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy which bans and restricts the production and consumption of single-use plastic products comes into practice. 

“Green production will be an inevitable trend for plastic businesses”, Mr. Nguyen Le Thang Long – Chairman of Vietnam Eco-friendly Products Manufacture Association (EPMA) said at the International Bioplastic Conference 2023 which was held on September 6 – 7, 2023, in Seoul, Korea. 

The workshop was jointly organized by the City of Seoul and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy with the participation of more than 500 experts, including experts from the United States, European Union (EU), Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The workshop focused on discussing issues related to bioplastics policies and markets around the world, environmental problems caused by plastics, and the prospects of biodegradable plastics to help reduce plastic pollution, and achieve the goal of building a green, sustainable economy. 

Mr. Nguyen Le Thang Long, representing Vietnamese businesses, presented at the International Bioplastics Conference 2023

Presenting at the conference with the topic “Vietnam’s bioplastic market”, Mr. Long updated the latest policies related to the roadmap to limit the production and import of single-use plastic products and packagingnon-biodegradable plastics; and products and goods containing microplastics. Among them, the most prominent is the new regulations of the Law on Environmental Protection – Decree 08/2022/ND-CP. Accordingly, from January 1, 2026, Vietnam will not produce and import non-biodegradable plastic bags with dimensions less than 50 cm x 50 cm and a film thickness of less than 50 μm, except in cases where production for export or production and import to package products and goods for sale to the market. Organizations and individuals that produce and import single-use plastic products and non-biodegradable plastic packaging will have to take responsibility for recycling and handling according to regulations. The establishment of the National EPR Council in 2023 is one of the strategic actions from the Government to enhance manufacturers’ recycling responsibility to reduce plastic pollution and support this law into practice. 

Mr. Nguyen Le Thang Long (3rd from right) with the President of the National Bioplastics Association at the International Bioplastics Conference 2023

Also according to this decree, after December 31, 2030, businesses are required to stop producing and importing single-use plastic products (except products with Vietnam eco-label certification), and non-biodegradable plastic packaging (including plastic bags that are difficult to biodegrade, foam plastic boxes for packaging and storing food) and products and goods containing microplastics, except in cases of production for export and cases of production and imports non-biodegradable plastic to package products and goods for sale to the market. 

With the above regulations, according to Mr. Long, manufacturing enterprises need to develop a roadmap to convert to green product production or have a plan to prepare for recycling costs according to the law. One of the potential solutions for single-use product manufacturers mentioned by Mr. Long is to shift their structure to produce biodegradable plastic products. This is an environmentally friendly product line, capable of decomposing into water, CO2, and humus in just 6 – 12 months. In Vietnam, one of the leading manufacturers producing this product line is An Phat Holdings Group. This product line has helped An Phat Holdings achieve many successes such as reaching the top of the best sellers on Amazon USA with revenue and products sold in 2023 growing 27 times compared to 2022. Besides, environmentally friendly products of An Phat Holdings have also successfully conquered many demanding markets such as England, Japan, Korea, the United States, and Canada… 

Biodegradable plastic products are the solution to reduce plastic pollution

Although switching to producing environmentally friendly products is considered an inevitable trend, businesses are still facing many challenges such as lack of capital and technology. Furthermore, due to the lack of specific criteria for green products, many products are cheap and not environmentally friendly but are still labeled green and compete directly with truly environmentally friendly products, which are inherently environmentally friendly with 1.5 – 2 higher prices. 

“It is predicted that by 2030, the market demand for bioplastic products in Vietnam will be about 80,000 tons. Therefore, this is a very potential market for Vietnamese businesses to exploit. However, to be able to produce quality products that meet global standards, Vietnamese businesses need to carefully prepare capital and technology to be able to convert to producing new product lines which are environmentally friendly, and high technology content,” Mr. Long shared. 

As Chairman of EPMA, Mr. Long said that EPMA will promote connections with more manufacturers to develop new product lines, promote domestic green consumption trends, and contribute to reducing plastic pollution in Vietnam.  

Single-use plastics to be banned at Han River parks

Plastic cups and containers will be banned from parks along the Han River in 2025, in an effort by Seoul City to reduce single-use plastics.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Thursday comprehensive countermeasures against the surge of single-use plastic containers, sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the measures, the city aims to curb plastic waste by 10 percent and increase the recycling rate by 10 percent. The current recycling rate stands at 69 percent, and the city aims to elevate it to 79 percent by 2026.

Disposable plastic cups are stacked in a franchise coffee shop in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

“Growing environmental pollution is a massive problem that is directly connected to the survival of the city and people. So we can’t delay responding to it,” Lee In-keun, the head of the city government’s Climate and Environment Headquarters, said during a press conference.

One of the measures is designating the various Han River parks as plastic-free zones by 2025. With that aim, food trucks at Banpo Hangang Park have changed disposable containers to multi-use ones, according to the city government.

The initiative will be expanded to Ttukseom Hangang Park by 2024 before eventually including all parks along the river by 2025.

Stores in those parks will be exempt from the regulation, but delivery services, used frequently by visitors to the parks, will be subject to it.

To this end, the city government plans to send officials to delivery service pick-up zones at the riverside parks to check if the plan is being implemented properly.

“It will be challenging to impose legal penalties on every store or citizen using disposable containers, but it’s guidance that everyone should follow,” Jung Mi-sun, chief of the Resource Recovery Facilities Bureau of Seoul City, said.

A deposit system for disposable cups will also be introduced in 2025. For coffee shop patrons who opt for disposable cups, an additional 300 won (22 cents) will be charged.

Notably, Sejong City and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province have been testing a deposit system since December 2022, with promising results ― 3.14 million disposable cups were collected after its implementation.

It is estimated that around 630 million single-use plastic cups are used annually in Seoul’s coffee shops. Transitioning to multi-use cups could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 grams per cup, according to the city government.

The city will also encourage the use of multiuse cups at other facilities such as movie theaters and sports arenas, to cut the number of disposable cups being used by 100 million.

To help increase the recycling rate, Seoul is working on recycling waste plastic as raw materials. The city has signed business agreements with oil and chemical engineering companies to produce fuel oil or recycled materials from contaminated or composite waste plastic bags using pyrolysis technology.

Seoul’s comprehensive approach to tackling its plastic pollution mirrors global efforts to address this pressing issue.

Germany, for instance, has made it mandatory to use multi-use containers in restaurants and delivery services since January. The U.N. has committed to establishing an international agreement to regulate plastic pollution by 2025.

“We hope Seoul can become a model city by reducing the use of plastic and recycling waste resources,” Lee said.

Certification Scheme DINplus Home Compostable Carrier Bags

Since July 2023, DIN CERTCO GmbH (Berlin, Germany) offers a new certification scheme according to the new standard EN 17427:2022 “Packaging – Requirements and test scheme for carrier bags suitable for treatment in well-managed home composting installations”.

Based on the French standard, the European standard EN 17427 had been developed at the European level during the past year. The scope of this standard is limited to home compostable carrier bags. In addition to requirements for disintegration and biodegradability, the standard also includes specifications for extensive ecotoxicity tests and clear rules on environmentally hazardous substances and substances of very high concern. The new EU standards also includes guidelines on how well-managed home composting should look like and under which the certified bags then also biodegradable.

With this certification scheme, carrier bags, fruit and vegetable bags, and (organic) waste bags can be labeled with the trusted certification mark “DINplus Home Compostable Carrier Bags.” The modular certification scheme can also be used to certify the corresponding materials and semi-finished items

With this unique certification system according to a European standard, trust is created along the entire value chain of manufacturers, retailers, consumers and regulatory authorities.

Source: Bioplastics magazine, European Bioplastics