Scrap paper is heavier than plastic waste, thereby being more difficult to sort and process. (image: Environmental Corporation of Incheon)
INCHEON, Feb. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – In the midst of an increase in the number of parcel delivery service users resulting from the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak, the collection of cardboard delivery boxes by resource collection facilities in the port city of Incheon has marked a sharp increase.
The city-run Environmental Corporation of Incheon’s Songdo-based facility saw the influx of scrap paper, including cardboard delivery boxes, more than double to 2,938 tons in 2020 from 1,366 tons in 2019, with the processing share of scrap paper rising from 17 percent in 2019 to 32 percent in 2020.
Scrap paper, in general, is heavier than plastic waste, thereby being more difficult to sort and process.
In contrast, the packaging industry is suffering from a shortage of corrugated cardboard, the raw material for delivery boxes.
To address the shortage of corrugated cardboard as well as to increase the recycling rate of cardboard delivery boxes, the corporation focusing on improving the efficiency of collection and separation operations.
To this end, it introduced the method of bringing in scrap paper first through exclusive vehicles in the stage of collection, starting from the end of last year.
Previously, it collected scrap paper and plastic waste at the same time, but from the end of last year, it started collecting scrap paper first. This method led to an improvement in recycling quality and made separation easier.
The facility’s daily processing volume increased by about 6 percent to 35 tons from 33 tons on average, with the per-kilogram unit sale price rising to 88 won (US$0.08) from 64 won.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
