Sejong, December 02 - The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) thoroughly prepared for the disposable cup deposit-return scheme, which started on December 2 in Sejong and Jeju, by improving the system for returning disposable cups. 

The Ministry of Environment and the Container Deposit System Management Organization (COSMO) will increase the number of places where people can return used disposable cups outside the participating stores. The purpose is to take the burden off the participating stores and to make it easy for consumers to return used disposable cups. In the same sense, the ministry will support the participating stores in installing reverse vending machines for disposable cups. A reverse vending machine is a machine that allows a person to return used disposable cups in exchange for a deposit refund. Consumers should download an application for their mobile phones first. Then, they get a refund of KRW300 by scanning the barcode provided by the application and the barcode attached to the disposable cups.  

The Ministry of Environment and the COSMO are figuring out how many stores want to install reverse vending machines for disposable cups among 626 cafes and restaurants in Sejong and Jeju. The ministry will install the device free of charge in all stores that want the machine. At out-of-store return points, people can return the used cups, regardless of brand or quantity, as long as the cups are from the participating stores. In the city of Sejong, considering the characteristics of the city as an office district, additional thirty reverse vending machines will be installed at the Sejong Government Complex, Sejong City Hall, community service centers, and public parking lots. In the future, the ministry will install additional devices in public offices and shopping centers. In Jeju Island, one of Korea's most popular tourist destinations, more than forty reverse vending machines will be installed at the airport, ports, parking lots for rental cars, and garbage drop-off points. In particular, additional reverse vending machines will be installed near small take-out cafes where it is difficult to return used disposable cups due to limited space. 

Meanwhile, the COSMO will test the reverse vending machine, whose mechanical performance was ed, but applicability in real life still needs to be ed. The COSMO tested three reverse vending machines, and only one passed the performance evaluation. Detailed information is available on the COSMO's website (www.cosmo.or.kr).

The disposable cup deposit-refund scheme is a system in which consumers pay an additional KRW300 for a deposit when they purchase a beverage with a disposable cup and get a refund for the deposit when they return used cups. The Ministry of Environment expected the scheme would help reduce disposable cups. The ministry also expected used disposable cups to be properly collected and recycled. 

<Reverse Vending Machine>

A machine with a simple function that enables consumers to return used disposable cups and get a refund for a deposit by simply scanning a barcode 

- Using a wired/wireless Internet connection

- Linked to the disposable cup payment management system operated by the Container Deposit System Management Organization (COSMO)