Speaking of carbon neutrality, the theme of January, several governments around the world have been trying to achieve it. The Korean government is one of them; in fact, very recently, they announced the implementation of a system to achieve carbon neutrality. You may ask: what is this system? The answer is the disposable cup deposit system. 

Disposable cups have long been a driver of climate change. According to the social enterprise TerraPass, “From production to disposal, the life-cycle of [disposable] cups is contributing to the world’s growing problems of waste, pollution, and climate change” (1). Therefore, the Korean government wanted to reduce the amount of disposable cups used or thrown or away in order to slow down climate change and strive for carbon neutrality. 

You may ask what a disposable cup deposit system is. It’s actually quite simple. Let’s say you buy a cup of coffee in a disposable cup. If the coffee costs $5, you would have to pay or deposit an extra fee, let’s say $0.50, for buying the coffee in a disposable cup. However, if you bring a reusable cup for the coffee, you would only have to pay $5, creating an incentive for customers to use reusable cups. Otherwise, if you buy the coffee with a disposable cup, you would be able to return the disposable cup after use to receive the $0.50 you deposited. Again, because it may become quite repetitive returning to the coffee shop every day to get your $0.50 back, you may find it more convenient to just use a reusable cup.

In Korea, this system will be implemented “at cafes and fast-food chains starting June 10” (2). Additionally, “The system will apply to companies with over 100 branches, covering about 38,000 cafes and fast-food stores across the country” (2). Although only time will tell whether this change will push many citizens to start using reusable cups, it is pleasant to see the Korean government attempting something to contribute to the global effort of carbon neutrality.

Sources:

1. https://terrapass.com/blog/skip-the-coffee-reduce-carbon-footprint

2. http://tbs.seoul.kr/eFm/newsView.do?typ_800=J&idx_800=3460392&seq_800=20453019