Time now for our "Life & Info" segment... where we focus on information useful for your everyday life whether you are in Korea or somewhere else in the world. <br />Starting Monday, the South Korean government is banning supermarkets, department stores and large shops from offering plastic bags to customers.<br />It's aimed at cutting down on plastic waste,... but it may take some time for shoppers in South Korea to adjust to the changes.<br />Oh Soo-young reports. <br />Large stores in South Korea are no longer providing single-use plastic bags,... in line with a government policy aimed at protecting the environment.<br />The law went into effect on Monday,... across 2,000 large supermarkets, department stores and shopping malls as well as 11-thousand grocery stores larger than 165 square metres.<br />"The next time you go shopping you'll have to bring a reusable shopping bag like this one, or purchase a recyclable paper bag."<br />Plastic roll bags in particular have been used by Korean shoppers to carry fruit and vegetables,... and other pick-and-choose items like baked goods.<br />But from Monday,... stores caught giving them away,... will be fined over 26-hundred U.S. dollars.<br />Exceptions have been made for products that can leak or melt,... such as ice cream or packs of tofu.<br />For many shoppers, the policy will take some getting used to.<br />"It's so inconvenient. How are we going to carry our groceries now? It's a problem, especially for older people like me."<br />"I try to carry a reusable bag when I can but sometimes you're in a hurry. I think the policy's too strict."<br />Other shoppers say they're on board with the ban.<br />"We need the policy for the sake of the environment, our future, and our children."<br />Environmentalists say the plastic bag-ban regulation has been a long time coming.<br />The country has actually banned stores from giving away free plastic bags since 1999, as a measure for environmental protection.<br />But it's clear the law was widely disregarded,... with Korea's consumption of plastic bags nearly doubling from 12-point-five billion bags in 2003,... to 21 billion bags in 2015.<br />"The typical South Korean uses about 420 plastic bags a year -- and there's nowhere for these bags to go. In Finland, the per capita average is 4 bags a year. The EU's average is around 200 bags a year but it's moving to half that number within the next five years. So Korea's new policy is a positive and much needed change."<br />The environment ministry says the new policy could reduce the use of two-point-two billion plastic bags every year. <br />South Korea joins dozens of countries which have imposed bans or taxes on disposable plastics to reduce their detrimental impact on our planet. <br />Oh Soo-young, Arirang News. <br /><br />
