Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

Hello! I hope everyone is doing great! Drawing in from my previous podcast about Korea’s plastic waste crisis, I will now talk about simple ways that we can do to lessen our plastic use. But before we get to that, here are a few facts to get us thinking and put things into perspective. Did you know that…? • 500 billion plastic bottles are produced worldwide. • Over 90% of plastic waste produced has not yet been recycled. • Up to 12.7 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year and by 2050, they could contain more plastics than fish. • Single-use plastics have an average useful life of 12 to 15 minutes and yet can take up to 500 years to disappear. Are these facts surprising to you or not? Nonetheless, bottom line is, we really have to start shifting our habits because the plastic crisis is getting out of hand. It’s a difficult task and it involves action from even larger institutions, companies, and authorities. But it won’t hurt if we try to do something as well. It’s inevitable to think that our small actions won’t make a difference. I think that once we develop a habit, these small actions can certainly make an impact! What I’m about to share with you may actually be things that you are already doing. The key is to consistently apply these. So, here you go: 1. Avoid single-use plastics like straws and plastic utensils. As for me, I was gifted by my father a set of wooden utensils with a stainless steel straw. I’ve been using this since 2019. I should really make it a habit to bring the steel straw with me whenever I go to cafes. I’m pretty sure something like this is also available in Korea. When dining in restaurants, use non-disposable wares. When doing online deliveries, request to not include single-use utensils. 2. Always carry an eco-bag or a cloth shopping bag. I noticed that a lot of people here in Korea already have this habit of carrying eco-bags. Doing this will surely decrease all the Daiso plastic bags you have lying around your house! I’m sure you guys have a lot too! 3. Carry around a reusable bottle. This is something that I still have to keep reminding myself to do because I honestly don’t like carrying big bags. But a lot of my friends have already been doing this. Having a reusable bottle is a great way to cut your plastic use. You can even request coffee shops to use your own bottle. Finally, since there will still be a lot of instances when we cannot avoid plastic use, my fourth reminder is to 4. make sure you dispose of these plastic items correctly. Korea actually has an elaborate way of waste segregation. Learn this and try your best to follow. It’s a great start being aware of the many environmental issues around us. So, the next step is to make small but important changes. I really hope we try to achieve these simple actions in the coming days! Until next time! Thank you for listening!