Increasing Pressure on South Korea's E-waste Recycling System

According to a report by NewsPim on July 12, as sales of new electronic products such as dryers, drones, and e-cigarettes continue to increase in the South Korean market, public attention towards the obligation to recycle these products is also growing. The South Korean Ministry of Environment is facing pressure to strengthen the recycling system for new products, promote the development of a circular economy, and reduce the environmental impact of electronic waste.

In June of last year, the South Korean Ministry of Environment proposed a "strategy for promoting industrial growth in the circular economy" at an emergency meeting of economic ministers. The goal was to expand recycling targets from 50 products to nearly all electronic products, in line with the strategy of the European Union. However, despite announcing plans to expand the scope of recycling, specific institutional reform actions have not materialized in the past year.

Critics point out that in order to strengthen the recycling system for new electronic products, the government needs to actively improve the current system. According to news from the South Korean Ministry of Environment on July 11th, currently only 50 types of products are included in the mandatory recycling system, including refrigerators, household washing machines, fans, smartphones, and televisions. Despite expanding the recycling program twice in 2014 and 2020, many discarded electronic products are still not included in the recycling obligation.

According to the "National Health and Nutrition Survey" conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the proportion of adults using liquid e-cigarettes has increased from 1.1% in 2013 to 3.5% in 2022. The usage rate of coil e-cigarettes has remained around 6% since data has been collected in 2019, dropping to 5.9% in 2022.

As sales of new electronic products such as e-cigarettes, hair dryers, and drones continue to rise, the lack of responsibility for their recycling by manufacturers restricts the government's understanding and actual implementation of waste recovery.

Although plans to expand the recycling program have been put in place, the process of reviewing and modifying regulations takes time. If we calculate from the completion of the regulatory changes, the implementation point is approximately one year later. The South Korean Ministry of Environment stated that the expansion of the electronic product recycling project will increase the responsibilities and obligations of producers, therefore requiring thorough discussions with stakeholders.

An official from the Ministry of Environment stated, "In the first half of this year, we have discussed directional issues through meetings with the industry. Our goal is to begin modifying regulations within this year.