South Korea mandates separate collection of beverage cartons from 2027
South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has made separate disposal of paper beverage cartons, including milk and aseptic cartons, compulsory from 1 January 2027 at apartment complexes with 300 or more households, covering about 144,000 buildings. Voluntary implementation began 1 October 2026; violators face fines of up to KRW 300,000 (USD 224) once local ordinances are revised. The ministry has signed a partnership with dairy companies, paper manufacturers and recyclers to support the new collection system, after the carton recycling rate fell to 13 percent in 2023 from 19.9 percent in 2019.
Why this mattersA mandatory carton-sorting regime could lift recovered fibre volumes for carton recyclers, but a similar PET-bottle rule since 2020 shows enforcement and infrastructure gaps can blunt such policies.
- Mandatory separate disposal of paper beverage cartons applies from 1 January 2027 at apartment complexes with 300+ households (about 144,000 buildings).
- Voluntary implementation of the policy began 1 October 2026.
- Fines of up to KRW 300,000 (USD 224) apply to violators once local ordinances are revised.
- The collection and recycling rate for paper beverage cartons fell to 13 percent in 2023, down from 19.9 percent in 2019.
- The Environment Ministry signed a partnership with dairy companies, paper manufacturers and recyclers on 21 September 2026 to support carton recycling.
- A comparable separate-disposal rule for transparent PET bottles, in force since December 2020, has struggled with enforcement.