Park Jae-hyuk is a seasoned journalist who has provided comprehensive coverage of South Korea's corporate dynamics, economic policies, industry challenges and the global positioning of Korean companies. Based on the articles he has written since joining The Korea Times in 2016, his investigative approach has helped readers understand corporate governance, economic trends and business strategies shaping South Korea’s economy.
Korea's policies deemed insufficient to encourage aluminum can recycling
Used aluminum cans are piled in this undated photo. Courtesy of Novelis Korea
By Park Jae-hyuk
More Koreans opt for beverages in aluminum cans
The government has been criticized for insufficient policies for aluminum can recycling, as the number of Koreans choosing aluminum cans as their most preferred beverage packaging material rose from a year earlier, signaling a growing preference for more recyclable materials.
The Seoul Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) released the findings Thursday, after a survey of 1,011 adults nationwide on the occasion of Global Recycling Day, marked annually on March 18. The latest poll followed a previous one conducted in February 2025.
When asked about their most preferred beverage packaging material, 34.7 percent of respondents chose aluminum cans, up 10.8 percentage points from the previous year.
Plastic bottles remained the top choice at 43.4 percent, but the results were interpreted as a sign of shifting consumer sentiment toward more recyclable packaging.
Nearly 8 in 10 respondents agreed that recycling materials without losing their original properties is important to mitigate the climate crisis.
Even so, only about half were aware that aluminum cans can be infinitely recycled.
In addition, 63.1 percent said they did not know that recycling aluminum reduces carbon emissions by 95 percent compared with producing aluminum from natural bauxite.
The Seoul KFEM attributed the lack of awareness to insufficient recycling policies.
More than 80 percent of respondents said they already separate aluminum cans from other trash for recycling.
Still, a lack of space, inconvenient recycling methods and distrust in the recycling system were cited as the main reasons people find it difficult to dispose of aluminum cans properly.
More than 70 percent of respondents supported installing collection machines for a can deposit system and requiring companies to disclose the proportion of recycled materials used in their products.
In last year’s survey, 79.3 percent supported a deposit system for cans, while 89.1 percent said they were willing to buy aluminum can products labeled as containing more than 80 percent recycled aluminum.
“The government should set a goal for ‘can-to-can’ recycling, while expanding collection infrastructure, introducing a deposit system and requiring companies to disclose the proportion of recycled materials in their products,” said Lee Dong-yi, secretary-general of the Seoul KFEM.