2.3.3 Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources (1992)
In order to reduce and recycle wastes more effectively, the Korean government also
implemented in 1992 the “Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources”, which by now
has been revised over thirty times [12]. Since the introduction of this Act, it became the manufacturers’
responsibility to reduce the use of unnecessary packaging materials by designing more environmentally
friendly packaging methods. The restriction of the size and number of packaging was initially applied to
23 manufacturers, importers and sellers: It required the packaging sizes to decrease 10% to 35% smaller
and to limit the number of packaging to be no more than double [10]. The use of recyclable materials for
packaging was recommended and synthetic resin materials such as PVC were either prohibited or
strongly discouraged; the government accepted industrial pledges for annual reduction in use [10].
Under the “Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources”, business owners were
encouraged to replace disposable products with reusable ones and were prohibited from providing
plastic bags free of charge [12]. Also, some restaurants, cafeterias, and caterers participated in a system
that charges customers a fee for disposable take-out containers and refunds the fee when used goods
were brought back for recycling (market-generated deposit refund system) [10]. Most of the fast-food
and coffee businesses replaced plastic containers and cups with paper products. Some of these business
owners facilitated the use of reusable items by giving customers a discount on beverages when they
brought in their own mugs [10].
The Korean government’s regulatory policy through the “Act on the Promotion of Saving and
Recycling of Resources”, along with the “Deposit Refund System”, contributed to a gradual reduction in
the total MSW generated by cutting the portion of packaging and plastic wastes, and also by stimulating
recycling