By Lee Kyung-min
Fewer empty soju and beer bottles are being returned to alcohol manufacturers because consumers and recycling collection agencies are hoarding them ahead of a planned increase in refunds for such containers.
In early September, the Ministry of Environment said that it would increase cash refunds for reusable bottles from 40 to 100 won for a 350-milliliter soju bottle, and from 50 to 130 won for 500- and 640- milliliter beer bottles.
The price hike is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 21. The refund amounts have remained unchanged for 22 years, since they were initially set in 1994.
Unlike the ministry’s attempt to encourage reusable bottle recycling by increasing the cash incentive, it is said that an increasing number of people are keeping the bottles until next year to receive the increased refund.
After the announcement, 10 alcohol makers said they collected 79 percent of the bottles they sold the month before, according to the Korea Alcohol & Liquor Industry Association. That was down from a 96.8 percent collection rate the year before.
As the situation has become serious, and the alcohol companies have had difficulty securing enough reusable bottles, the ministry said it will ask the companies to put labels on bottles made after Jan. 21 to distinguish them from the old bottles, and apply the increased cash refund for the new bottles only.
If bottles are purchased after Jan. 21 and the labels are removed by mistake, the people can get the increased refund only when they have a receipt to prove the date of purchase.
Those who manipulate the labels will face fraud charges, the ministry added.