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Corona 19 has increased the use of disposable products again, but it was not long ago that it was difficult to export recycled plastics, and the garbage collected was collected a while ago. The government has taken emergency measures to purchase recycled products instead and move them to temporary locations.

Reporter Chan-Bum Park covered.

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The most serious waste in recycling now is 'Pet', a type of waste plastic.

There is an urgent need to secure space to accumulate garbage in residential areas such as apartments, but there are more than 18,000 tons in 23 PET recycling producers nationwide.

The warehouse storage rate, which was around 50% at the beginning of last month, is just before entering a saturated state, jumping to 70% in less than a month.

The Ministry of Environment has begun the 'public reserve' of 10,000 tons of pets.


[Kim Hyo-Jung / Department of Resources Recycling, Ministry of Environment: The basis for calculating the appropriate stockpiling was based on the case of stockpiling other coal or ducks in the past.] The

pre-purchase method of paying 50% of the market price is applied.

Waste plastic recycled raw materials, which had been accumulated in storage warehouses forever due to blocked exports, are transferred to 11 temporary storage locations prepared by the government.

In the short term, the congestion situation will likely be resolved in the short term.

[Cho Myeong-rae / Minister of Environment: We will be a kind of stockpile equivalent to two months. If recycled materials are used (later), the previous collection problem will be solved.]

However, if export stagnation to the US and Europe is prolonged, moving storage spaces will face limitations.

[Hong Soo-Yeol, Director of the Institute for Resource and Recycling Socio-Economics: If the market is prolonged, it is difficult to digest the entire quantity, so more fundamental measures are necessary.]

Above all, waste plastic and old clothes prices plummet, and recycling products are collected in apartment complexes. The possibility of bankruptcy is increasing, and urgent support measures are urgent.

(Video coverage: Kang Dong-cheol, video editing: Park player)