South Korea removed a ban on paper cups at restaurants in a rare backtrack as other governments ramp up curbs to single-use products to protect the environment.
The government will allow cafe and restaurant owners to use paper cups for non-takeout orders to reduce the financial burden on small businesses, Vice Environment Minister Lim Sang Jun told reporters in a briefing Tuesday.
South Korea also indefinitely delayed a plan to ban plastic straws that was slated to start in November, Lim said. The initiative to eliminate the use of disposable items began in 2018.
Read More: Trendy Bans on Plastic Straws Are Mostly Bunk: Adam Minter
The move bucks a global push to protect the environment by clamping down on waste from single-use products. In October, the UK began a ban on single-use plastic cutlery and plates. Polyethylene-lined paper cups used for coffee usually end up in landfills or get incinerated.
--With assistance from Shinhye Kang.
