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South Korean coffee shops have imposed a plastic ban from April 1, resulting in customer complaints.

Published: 2026-02-02 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/02/02, Some coffee shops have received complaints from customers because the South Korean government has asked fast food restaurants to ban the use of disposable cups and cutlery, and there is nothing they can do about the ban, foreign media EconoTimes reported. According to the TheKoreaTimes, South Korea has previously

Some coffee shops have received complaints from customers because the South Korean government has asked fast food restaurants to ban the use of disposable cups and cutlery, and there is nothing they can do about the ban, foreign media EconoTimes reported.

South Korea has previously imposed a plastic ban on the use of disposable tableware for the first time in 2018, according to the The Korea Times. The ban was lifted in 2020 as the COVID-19 epidemic swept the world and the government relaxed restrictions.

Until mid-January this year, Yonhap news agency reported that the South Korean government will gradually step up efforts to ban plastic and restrict the use of disposable products. It is required to implement a "disposable cup deposit system" for more than 38,000 restaurants nationwide after June 10. When the customer goes to the coffee shop to return the disposable cup, the coffee shop needs to pay the customer 300 won.

In the eyes of the coffee shop owner, it is a recycling bin franchise. In the process of implementation, the store needs to bear too much cost. Before selling these disposable cups to customers, the store also needs to pay a deposit to the Resource Recycling margin Management Center (COSMO). In other words, the deposit is paid to the institution first, and the customer returns the deposit to the customer when returning the cup. In addition, the labor and equipment costs for cup cleaning and storage are also borne by the shop, and even the related logistics costs are also borne by the store.

The plastic ban was suspended for a period of time because of the epidemic. The owner of a coffee shop said in an interview with the media that in the past two years, people have become accustomed to using plastic cups to drink coffee, and many customers feel very unsafe to use reusable cups for drinks. there are also many customers who propose to stay for a short time and can change disposable plastic cups, but there is nothing the store can do about these needs.

Some locals believe that banning the use of disposable tableware is to save the environment, and only South Korea enforces a plastic ban, which really does not bring any useful help to environmental protection. in addition, some private cups are also made of plastic as raw materials, which is not environmentally friendly.

The ban on plastic cups in South Korean fast food restaurants came into effect on April 1, and there are still two months to go before the implementation of the "disposable cup deposit system". The coffee shop owner is miserable and dissatisfied with this. Why only let enterprises bear all these costs? moreover, this will accumulate a huge amount of accounts for enterprises, and it is still doubtful whether it can be recovered in time, including interest. So far, there are no specific guidelines.

The position of the South Korean government is that the main body of manufacturing and selling disposable cups is the enterprise, so the enterprise has the fundamental responsibility on the issue of disposable waste. The environment department explained that for the unreturned deposit, the relevant options are being studied and discussed.

But for consumers, disposable cups require a deposit of 300 won, plus the previous price increase, and the price of coffee has risen twice just after this quarter. Although you don't have to pay a deposit if you bring your own coffee cup, how many people will bring their own cup?

The South Korean government's policy requires coffee shops to collect deposits from coffee shops while banning disposable cups while using the "disposable cup deposit system", while customers want coffee shops to provide disposable cups or even complain to coffee shops for convenience. In the end, the coffee shop was sandwiched in the middle and became the biggest grievance.

Photo Source: Internet

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