Fig. 4 shows how the waste allocations in Korea have shifted from 1990 to 2008. It is interesting to note the trend before and after the implementation of the unit pricing system. The landfill method consists of 81.16% of the total waste in 1994 and recycling method was 15.36%. However, recycling has increased steadily and up to 59.8% in 2008 while landfill has decreased down to 20.3% [9]. After the implementation of the unit pricing system, the volume of MSW certainly stays around 50,000 tons in Korea, and it does not increase although the Korean economy has grown since then [9].
See Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the increase in recycling and the decrease in landfill waste have been critical improvements due to the unit pricing system. There were discussions about the seriousness of environmental pollution, the efficiency of energy use, and the reuse of resources initiated by environmental activists [10]. In this social context, the unit pricing system has been established.