16th November, 2018, by Amy K. (G.12)

It was the middle of the August 2018. To escape from the burning sun, Sohee K.(G12) rushed into a nearby cafe and ordered a cold iced tea. When she finally got her tea, she noticed something different -- her drink was served in a glass mug, instead of a plastic cup.

Sohee is one of many Koreans who has been affected by a recent policy of banning the use of disposable plastic cups in all cafes. Starting in August 2018, the Ministry of Environment announced a campaign to ban the use of disposable plastic cups in coffee shops—with the exception of take-out orders.

Any cafe that offers disposable cups to customers who are not ordering to-go could pay a fine up to 2 million won ($1,785). Such regulation has existed since 1994, but there was no strong enforcement of this law by local governments. With more than 18,000 cafes in Seoul alone, the law is impacting millions of people in Korea.

The ban was implemented in response to a massive plastic waste crisis worldwide, including right here in South Korea. According to research by Roland Geyer, a researcher from the University of California, Santa Barbara, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced since it was introduced in the 1950s. Humans produce almost 20,000 plastic bottles every second and the amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity, according to Euromonitor and Statista, PlasticsEurope.

South Korea is not an exception. South Koreans are using too much unnecessary plastic products in their daily lives due to their convenience. For example, based on the statistics released in 2015, an average Korean took home 420 plastic bags a year, which was six times more than in Germany and 105 times higher than in Finland. Also, just last year alone, over 291,000 plastic bags were used to cover wet umbrellas indoors. All of these can be easily be replaced with reusable items.

Why is plastic pollution a serious problem? Plastics accumulate in nature and are detrimental to our planet. According to Laura Parker from National Geographic, plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade, so most of it still exists in some form. Only 12 percent has been incinerated. In addition, 91% of plastic waste isn’t recycled.

According to Jenna Jambeck, a University of Georgia environmental engineer who specializes in studying plastic waste in the oceans, all that plastic waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years, since most plastics don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense.. The enormous amount of plastic that ends up in seas harms birds, marine animals, and fish -- for example, a recent study by Chris Wilcox from Oceans and Atmosphere Business Unit, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have found out that 90 percent of seabirds are currently consuming plastic trash in the ocean, and the number is projected to be increased up to 100% by 2050.

The dangerous impact of plastic pollution is indiscriminating. The plastic consumed by small organisms may move along the food chain and eventually arrive at the large animal’s intestines; for instance, plastic present in fish may be on our dinner tables. Furthermore, the release of harmful chemicals from plastics poison groundwater, land, and air.

Unfortunately, plastic pollution is even on Jeju island. It’s a shame that Jeju’s pristine natural environment, which is one of the UNESCO World's Heritage sites, is damaged by trash, especially at the seashores. With a rapid increase in tourists visiting the island, the amount of trash that they are leaving behind has rapidly increased from 9,600 ton in 2012 to 14,000 tons in 2013, which is a 30% increase. A local government official said that plastic in the seas or on the ocean is especially more difficult to recycle due to salinity. In fact, in April 2018, Jeju island was on the list of top five places trying to accommodate too many visitors by the BBC News.

Even Korea International School, Jeju (KISJ) students are recognizing plastic pollution nearby. Jae L.(G12) said that “In dorms, I see many people using non-reusable plastic spoons, forks, and plates instead of reusable stainless steel ones because they don’t want to wash the dishes.” Also, Harry Y. (G11) said: “I see many plastic wastes on the GEC streets or plastic wastes that are not in the right recycling bin.”

The invention of plastic has brought huge convenience to our lives. However, it also has brought huge pollution in our environment as well. Plastic cups, straws, spoons, and forks have made our lives easier and faster, but we should ask, “Are these necessary?” It is time to consider whether it’s worth trading off convenience for a clean, healthy environment.