from DJing grandmother's to our life an info segment where we focus on
information useful for your everyday life whether you are in Korea or
watching us somewhere else in the world today is a first topic is about
something that is going to affect all of us here in Korea because beginning this
week the South Korean government has banned large supermarkets and retailers
in the country from offering disposable plastic bags we have our Oh Sooyoung
with us to fill us in on what we can expect next time we go shopping so
Sooyoung first reminders of this policy as shoppers what can and what can't we
do well mark shoppers are banned from purchasing Kathak bags at supermarkets
like Lotte Mart a Martin home Plus this not only applies to supermarkets but
also department stores shopping malls in grocery stores that's how larger than
165 square meters you can only buy reusable bags now or
paper bags that are recyclable so those thick glossy ones with UV coating that I
really like those aren't allowed to be thought either right and this doesn't
just affect bags you get the till or you buy the till it also affects those
smaller very thin plastic bags that people use to wrap up their fruit and
vegetable and I hear that people in South Korea tend to use them rather
excessively and they're also covered under this ban as well right and I wrote
like I've been very guilty of doing that myself I put all sorts of things and
they're not just food but you know cosmetics even yeah so presumably
because of people like me the government has banned the use of these disposable
raw bags within supermarkets as well there are exceptions of course when it
comes to food that could easily melt or leak such as packets of tofu clams or
ice cream as well as loose vegetables that are covered in dirt pre-packed meat
and fruit vegetable as thick bag ban and you might wonder how people are reacting
to this mark well a poll released this week by Greenpeace at
he shows that about nine out of ten members of the public do seem to agree
with the ban on plastic products not just plastic bags but of course
translating these convictions into practice isn't exactly easy so I got
some mixed reactions on this policy it's so inconvenient how are you going to
carry our groceries now it's a problem especially for older people like me I
try to carry a reusable bag when I can but sometimes you're in a hurry I think
the policy is too strict we need the policy for the sake of the
environment our future and our children well just watching the reaction there it
seems this plastic bag ban is going to take some getting used to for many
people here in South Korea do you have any tips for us on what we can do next
time we head to the supermarket right well there is the very obvious option of
taking a reusable bag with you they're widely available not just in
supermarkets but department stores and shops downtown where they offer bags
with some really nice prints and patterns actually so you can go wild
choosing one of those but if you're anything like me you just simply can't
remember to put one in your bag or take one with you to the supermarket so what
I tend to do is buy one of these twenty liter or thirty liter trash bag that
detail so you can put all your groceries in there take at home and actually use
it again to take out the trash but those are a bit costlier they are a bit more
expensive than paper bags they're around 43 cents so a cost free option would be
assembling one of those use boxes normally available behind the hill at a
supermarket so you can load your groceries there and just take it home
well I'm just imagining you carrying your food home in a thirty liter garbage
bag it must be quite funny to see but the whole point of course is to
encourage the public to start reusing plastic bags if they use them at all but
preferably to get them to move away from it instead of
find their way around these new regulations exactly and despite the
government's recent ban on plastic bags as well as using disposable cups inside
coffee shops it's clear that the South Korean public is pretty much addicted to
disposables look at the excessive packaging you get on foods and you know
the plastic utensils that come with food deliveries for instance the typical
South Korean uses about 420 plastic bags a year and there's nowhere for these
bags to go in Finland the per-capita averages for bags a year the e use
average is around 200 bags a year but it's moving to half that number within
the next 5 years so Korea's new policy is a positive and
much-needed change it's quite stunning really that Finland on average only uses
four plastic bags a year so that's a hundred times less than we do here in
South Korea but I think the key then is just to change the way people think
about shopping now they're no longer going to be able to rely on using
plastic bags from supermarkets exactly and that's why experts say even the most
basic steps are very vital ones to improving our planet and so on so the
next time you order food for instance you could ask them to maybe cut down on
the excessive packaging and maybe ask them to leave out the plus e tencel's
taking your own margot flora cafe of course that's also a very obvious option
but that also makes a difference also looking for products made of
biodegradable ingredients and recyclable packaging that now might take some extra
effort on your part but those are vital steps towards preserving our planet and
some stores in Seoul marker now actually they're actually enforcing a zero
plastic policy and they sell only biodegradable products made from
recycled words for instance there's also been a number of upcycling stores
selling everything from reusable bags trendy clothes made from discarded
materials business cards made from milk cartons and even children's toys
repurposed from plastic bottles and I've actually been
to this place called the salt up upcycling Plaza in eastern ho where you
can find all these products you can also see these see the upcycling process as
they let you watch and it's definitely a good place to pick up a reusable
shopping bag and also become more eco conscious while checking out the various
displays and exhibitions there well just looking at the video they're so young it
looks like a great place to shop or if you just want to take a look around
somewhere worth visiting as well soo-young we appreciate your report
today thank you thank you mark