Seoul to remove plastic umbrella sleeves from metro, state offices

Seoul Metropolitan Government will stop providing plastic umbrella sleeves at subway stations and government offices, starting next month.

Seoul said Monday that starting on May 1, plastic umbrella sleeves, which have been provided at the entrance of buildings on rainy days, will be replaced by umbrella dryers or carpets that can absorb water.

This move comes as an attempt to cut down on the use of plastic bags after China’s ban on the import of plastic waste provoked nationwide confusion.

Ten umbrella dryers have been installed at city hall buildings in Seoul since September 2017. According to the plan announced on Monday, Seoul will expand the use of umbrella dryers to all institutions under the Seoul Metropolitan Government. 

Plastic umbrella sleeves, which are used to prevent wet umbrellas from dripping water indoors, cannot be reused due to the moisture left on them. Thus, they have mostly been buried in the ground or burnt after use.

By Cho Yun-myung (yunc39@heraldcorp.com)