South Korea’s Ministry of Environment on Tuesday announced it will suspend a ban on plastic straws and paper cups in cafes and plastic bags in convenience stores to reduce the economic strain on small business owners grappling with inflation, rising production costs and skyrocketing interest rates. Despite concerns from experts about increased waste and poor recycling rates if deregulation occurs, Vice Minister Lim Sang-jun faulted the initial policy’s inadequacies and emphasized that regulation alone is insufficient for achieving sustainability.

The suspension is partly a response to the lack of public support for paper straws in Korea, often seenas