Looking to further reduce the use of plastic bags,... South Korea's capital Seoul will ban the use of such bags at big supermarkets and shops from April.
For more on what the plastic bag ban may mean for stores and those of us here in Seoul, Lee Seung-jae reports.
Seoul will ban the use of disposable plastic bags at big supermarkets and shops starting next month.
Under the revised law on the use of recyclable waste,... supermarkets that are 165 square-meters or bigger will be penalized if caught handing out single-use plastic bags.
Many single-use plastic bags are used in the fruit and vegetable aisles of supermarkets.
Customers that opt to use the bags will need to pay for them.
The city says if supermarkets or stores are caught giving away single-use plastic bags,... they will be fined over 26-hundred U.S. dollars.
"Depending on the type or number of violations, the penalty amount will vary. We have done enough to craft the policy so now we need to enforce the measures."
Supermarkets and stores will still be allowed to offer thin-film plastic bags,... if they are used to contain so-called "wet items", such as fish, meat and other related goods.
Products that were once not listed,... but have been recently added to the list of goods that cannot be bagged include baked goods.
The Seoul City Government has been encouraging stores to adhere to the ban,... which took effect in January,... but will now impose fines without warnings when the three-month grace period ends in April.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.