As South Korea hosts INC-5 talks on plastic waste, critics say its 73% recycling claim hides flaws, with actual rates near 27%. Rising plastic use and financial challenges reveal limits of recycling-focused strategies.
Despite international recognition for its recycling efforts, South Korea’s challenges with plastic waste are coming into sharper focus as it prepares to host the INC-5 talks in Busan next week. The discussions will center on a potential global agreement to address plastic pollution, with contentious debates expected over whether the treaty should include limits on plastic production.
Countries like Saudi Arabia and China, major plastic and petrochemical producers, oppose such restrictions, advocating instead for improved waste management practices.
South Korea reports recycling 73% of its plastic waste, compared to the United States’ 5-6%, earning it praise as one of the top recycling nations. The MIT Technology Review even ranked South Korea as the only Asian country in the top 10 of its 2022 Green Future Index.
However, critics argue these statistics are misleading. Seo Hee-won of the Climate Change Center says the 73% figure reflects plastic that reaches screening facilities, without clarity on how much is actually recycled versus incinerated or sent to landfills. Greenpeace estimates the true recycling rate is closer to 27%.
The country’s plastic waste problem has grown significantly, with annual generation rising from 9.6 million tonnes in 2019 to 12.6 million tonnes in 2022—a 31% increase driven by the pandemic-related surge in online shopping and packaging.
Financial challenges have further hindered recycling. At a closed recycling facility in Asan, approximately 19,000 tonnes of untreated plastic waste remain piled up, emitting foul odors. Local officials attribute the issue to the facility owner’s financial difficulties, estimating cleanup costs between $1.43 million and $2.14 million—a low priority due to the lack of funding.
South Korea’s situation highlights the complexities and limitations of recycling-focused approaches, raising questions about the need for more aggressive measures to curb plastic production globally.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday that foreign companies are welcome to do business in Brazil, speaking at the opening of a...
Serbian police used teargas and crowd control vehicles in Belgrade on Friday evening to disperse anti-government protesters who threw firecrackers and...
Kyrgyzstan’s economy expanded by 11.5 percent in the first seven months of 2025, reaching 9.9 billion U.S. dollars, official data shows....
Latest round of peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine appear to have yielded no concrete results even as President Trump remains hopeful....
Gold prices were steady on Friday but remained on track for a weekly decline, as stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data dampened expectations for ...
The South Korean government has voiced “deep disappointment and regret” over visits by Japanese officials to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, urging that any improvement in bilateral ties must be grounded in Japan’s willingness to confront its wartime past, the foreign ministry said on Friday.
South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been jailed after a court approved her arrest on bribery, stock fraud and influence-peddling charges, making her the only former first lady in the country’s history to be detained.
South Korea and Vietnam have pledged to boost annual trade to $150 billion by 2030, signing 10 cooperation deals as new U.S. tariffs disrupt global supply chains.
North Korea condemned a planned joint military exercise by South Korea and the U.S. as a “direct military provocation” and warned of countermeasures, despite signs of easing tensions across the border under South Korea’s new leadership.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
Talks at the United Nations in Geneva to establish a global legally binding treaty on plastic pollution went into overtime on Thursday, with discussions adjourned to Friday.
SOCAR Türkiye, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic, has announced about a cooperation with Turkish Airlines in the field of sustainable aviation fuel. The move is aimed at complying with Türkiye's goal of reducing aviation emissions by 5% by 2030.
Spain is calling on European partners for assistance as wildfires rage across the country during one of its longest and hottest heatwaves on record.
Juneau, Alaska, is on high alert as floodwaters from the Mendenhall Glacier threaten to reach record levels, forcing residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate immediately.
Wildfires, driven by intense heatwaves, strong winds, and in some cases suspected arson, raged across southern Europe on Wednesday, torching homes, farmland, and factories while forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment