Plastic Pandemic caused by COVID-19; Based on Market Price of Recyclable Resources

Abstract

Modern people live in the age of plastics. It has been widely used due to its easy molding processing, mass production, and excellent durability. However, over-produced plastics for convenience cause plastic disasters and adversely affect the ecosystem. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the use of single-use plastic waste due to the use of delivery services has increased. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a plastic pandemic. Currently, domestic recycling policies depend only on recycling collection companies and market prices of recyclable resources. This paper confirms whether the outbreak of COVID-19 has affected the price of plastic waste. It also shows that the price of plastic waste is more unstable than metals with a high recycling rate. This urges businesses to share the cost of recycling on plastic waste, no longer being dependent on market prices for recyclable resources.