Sejong, December 07 - The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) announced that the "Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Wastes Control Act" and a partially revised "Enforcement Decree of the Construction Waste Recycling Promotion Act" were implemented on November 29. They focus on producing petrochemical products/ingredients from pyrolysis oil, improving the collection and transport of disposable cups eligible for the disposable cups deposit-return scheme, and organizing legal standards for commissioning and bringing in nonflammable construction wastes. These revisions were made to render previous regulations and protocols more apt to the rapidly changing resource circulation technologies and waste processing environment to ease the unwarranted burden on the industry and expand resource circulation practices.

Key revisions made are as follows:

First, pyrolysis oil from plastic waste can now be used to make petrochemical products, such as naphtha and diesel, for various plastic products. Until now, pyrolysis oil was categorized only under the recycling type of "for fuel production" and was only used as an auxiliary fuel for boilers, but it can now be used to make petrochemical products. Moreover, a pyrolysis plant used to be categorized as an incineration facility but is now considered a chemical recycling facility, with proper installation and inspection standards. The recycling standard was quantified, where over 50% of the plastic input by weight must be retrieved as pyrolysis oil. Recycling plastic waste is difficult since it is a composite material mixed with foreign substances. However, pyrolyzing and using plastic waste in petrochemical manufacturing will reduce incineration and reclamation rates and achieve carbon neutrality and a circular economy.

The recycling of coffee grounds and mushroom waste media used to be restricted "to making animal feed and fertilizer; now, however, they can be used as "fuels for combined heat and power generation plants" and "for producing oil products." Rice bran, which is used to make animal feeds, was removed from the waste list, easing regulations on highly useful wastes.

The Ministry of Environment improved the collection and transport system for disposable cups more efficiently and in eco-friendly ways before implementing the disposable cup deposit return scheme on December 2. Before, collecting and transporting disposable cups required a permit for collection and transport; now, you only need to file your business as "waste processing," and you can take up the task without a contract with the local governments. Those approved to collect and transport disposable cups can collect and move the cups to designated temporary storage areas, using not the specialized vehicles with compressors and arm rolls but trucks with tarp covers.

To increase the efficiency of waste disposal at incineration facilities, construction sites and intermediate waste disposal companies need to entrust and dispose of incombustibles to incineration companies with a total weight of less than 10%.

Jeong Seon-hwa, Director General of the Resource Circulation Bureau, said, "To achieve our goals to achieve 2050 carbon neutrality and circular economy, the Ministry of Environment made a sensible call to improve the regulations for resource circulation. She added, "We will continue to take in and review the voices and make positive improvements to reduce unnecessary regulations."

Contact: Min Gang-won, Assistant Deputy Director

Resource Circulation Policy Division / +82-(0)44-201-7350

Foreign Media Contact: Chun Minjo(Rachel)

+82-(0)44-201-6055 / rachelmchun@korea.kr