Time now for our "Life & Info" segment… where we focus on information useful for everyday life.<br />Labels on plastic bottles are the deciding factor on whether or not the bottle can be recycled.<br />Korea's environment ministry is working on amending laws to make it easier for consumers to recycle plastic bottles.<br />Park Se-young has more. <br />There are two types of labels that go on plastic bottles.<br />One is the traditional adhesive label,… and the other comes with perforated lines, making it easier to remove.<br />It would seem that the latter is better for the environment,... but consumers must remove the labels in the recycling process as recycling companies can't. <br />Companies here separate labels by using float-sink tanks,… but locally-made labels with perforated lines are made using materials that sink. <br />But,... in an effort to boost the rate of recycled products like plastic bottles,... the Ministry of Environment has made amendments to packaging standards.<br />Under the revisions, the ministry will rank packaging products by how easy they are to recycle.<br />It will classify nine packaging products including plastic bottles, glass bottles and paper cartons …into four grades - the best, good, fair and bad.<br />The ministry will provide tax incentives to companies that make recycling easier in line with the rankings, …with the top rank given to colorless plastic bottles with easy-to-peel labels.<br />The government will also seek business agreements with related industries within this year …to boost the production of those best-ranking plastic bottles.<br />And to ban the use of colored plastic bottles, which are difficult to recycle, …the government is looking to further revise regulations in the second half of this year.<br />From 2020, all plastic bottles produced to store drinks and water are expected to be colorless.<br />Park Se-young, Arirang News. <br />
