This file photo from July 28, 2021, shows free bottled water placed at the office of the Busanjin Ward in the southeastern port city of Busan. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The environment ministry said Thursday it has forged agreements with water bottling companies across the country to supply label-free water products to local government offices and transportation service providers.
The deals call on nationwide water companies to provide label-free water products to six metropolitan city government offices and 22 other local governments, railway operators Korea Railroad Corp. and SR Corp., and KOBUS, the national express bus operator association.
The government and the companies also agreed to work toward using more environmental-friendly containers, such as lighter packaging products.
As of 2019, 29 water companies across the country produced some 14.56 million bottled waters and generated some 266 tons of plastic. The number of bottles supplied to transportation companies stands at around 10.4 million annually.
The ministry said the labelless bottles are expected to promote proper recycling as they eliminate the hassle of having to separate the labels, made usually from polypropylene, from disposed bottles, and thus improve the overall quality of recycled plastic.
South Korea discards some 400 tons of plastic nationwide annually.
(Yonhap)
