By Kwon Mee-yoo, Ines Min
Staff Reporters
For most people, a pet is just another member of the family. So when their beloved pet dies, they want to dispose of the deceased in a dignified manner. But they are often taken aback when they learn that the preferred method of animal disposal under current laws is to dump them in waste disposal bags.
Pet owners have been searching for an alternative method, such as cremation at pet hospitals, but waste management laws say it's illegal unless the pet died in residence.
The Guro-gu district office in Seoul recently petitioned for an amendment that would permit more lenient disposal procedures.
But pet owners may have to wait for some time before changes in the rules are made as the Ministry of Environment said it has no plan to change the system.
A government official said changes in the law are difficult because of the rivalry between animal hospitals and pet funeral facilities.
"If we allow vet hospitals to take care of dead pets that died at other places, the pet funeral service industry becomes meaningless," the official said. "We have to discuss the matter with various interest groups."
Pet funeral facilities have had difficulties garnering clientele due to the high cost of their services, which charge at least 200,000 won for incineration, a Guro-gu official said. Expenses can reach anywhere from 700,000 to 1 million won if funeral rites are held or if the ashes are saved for the family.
"People prefer bringing pets to vet hospitals because it costs only 5,000 won per kilogram to dispose of them as medical waste," said Mun Hyeong-seong, another Guro official.
The cost of cremation of animals is more expensive here than in the United States, where costs begin at $50 (62,000 won) for smaller animals such as rabbits or ferrets.
High pet funeral expenses here are due to the poor supply-and-demand ratio, feeding into a cycle that further promotes the problem, according to a Guro-gu press release. The facilities must increase their prices in order to offset the low number of clients.
The most inexpensive method of animal disposal is through trash pick-up. Owners are asked to place their deceased pets into plastic bags, to be set out and taken with the garbage.
This method is also utilized in New York City, where pet owners are asked specifically to mark the plastic bags with a sign revealing its contents. In the end, however, the final destination is the same.
"Deceased pets are mixed in with other household refuse that is collected," said Matthew Lipani, an official at the New York City Department of Sanitation. In fact, the city does not even count how many animal bodies are collected in the curbside pick-up.
Pet burials are illegal in South Korea and many other countries due to water contamination laws, eliminating the option to perform more intimate funerals on private property.
Guro officials said they did not know when to expect a change in the system, while another Ministry of Environment official said that people "should be responsible for their pets even if it is expensive to use pet funeral facilities."
The official added, "Local governments can set up cheaper funeral facilities on their own and it does not violate current law."