Trash to 'treasure': N.Korea ramps up recycling
A short film broadcast on state run television shows a clear policy pivot in North Korea as the state pushes the benefits of recycling.
Called "Treasure I Found," it shows a factory worker who initially grumbles about his wife gathering plastic waste; having a change of heart when he finds he can use the recycled material to make a fence at his work - while this state news reader reminds viewers that trash can be treasure.
The scale of the recycling is unclear but it’s a message that’s being pushed hard.
Organizations are now required by a law passed last year to recycle discarded and unused material, while residents can hand in recyclable waste such as empty bottles at state-run recycling centers or exchange shops.
According to local media there are 70 such shops in the capital Pyongyang, where people can trade their recyclable waste for things like notebooks or shoes.
Analysts say the push is driven more by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's call for developing self-sufficiency rather than environmental reasons.
The economy has been battered by international sanctions aimed at stopping its nuclear program, and strict border closures to ward off the coronavirus.
According to Chinese customs data North Korea's trade with China plunged more than 80% last year.
Dr. Choi Eun-Ju is a research fellow at Sejong institute.
"North Korea started to emphasise the importance of recycling as a necessary choice to maintain its economy in the long run amid sanctions. But the necessity became more desperate in 2020 due to COVID-19. In the case of recycling laws or economic laws, it seems like there are definitely provisions and systems to punish people for breaking the laws or for doing something they aren't supposed to."
Some experts are doubtful about how effective it may be in the long-term, warning that over time the quality of recycled products will worsen unless new resources are introduced.
The mood summed up by a plastic goods factory worker on state TV: "We need to stake our fate on recycling. This is the way to survive."
相關影片推薦
- 1:41都更後變無家可歸! 住戶拿70萬怨:廁所都買不到東森新聞影音71,729 次觀看・23 小時前
- 1:37虎山巖金針花開了!假日估湧2萬人 聯外道塞爆華視影音7,529 次觀看・7 小時前
- 2:02停紅燈遭後車撞亡 業務員上班遇死劫獨留妻兒TVBS新聞網影音5,384 次觀看・23 小時前
- 1:29殯葬大亨董娘車禍 新畫面曝肇事駕駛違規蛇行|#鏡新聞鏡新聞88,117 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:23【週末去哪玩】東北角到頭城~一路順玩海岸景點巡禮Yahoo奇摩旅遊編輯部(影音)11,635 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:07王力宏難敵歲月摧殘顏值崩塌! 新造型網友不買單直呼:老態盡顯娛樂星聞6,479 次觀看・11 小時前
- 1:28余苑綺過世後千萬遺產恐遭扣押 余祥銓不捨「那是她要留給孩子的」娛樂星聞53,789 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:05網友發現《淚之女王》洪海仁衣服不重複穿 總共換了「166套」這幕是大家的最愛娛樂星聞1,851 次觀看・22 小時前
- 2:10《八戒》:決戰未來 (正式預告) | 電影預告Yahoo奇摩電影戲劇(預告片)2,885 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:21"不明物體"現蹤? 專家:風鈴木長型果莢"風吹移動"民視影音13,871 次觀看・7 小時前
熱門必看
- 13:05雪力神分析INF人!精彩到連唐老師都忘了講星座!?Ep.216-3唐綺陽談星室24,291 次觀看・4 天前
- 14:06到京都別只衝伏見稻荷神社 想變美、求戀愛運來這才內行Yahoo創作摩人3,345 次觀看・4 天前
- 11:30【淚之女婿】突變劇情被罵爆... 原來賢祐就是白血球?眼淚是海仁找回記憶關鍵?七大《女王》解析&主演幕後故事Ki笑人生18,216 次觀看・2 天前
- 8:05拿水沖香奈兒!?90萬小廢包沒人帶?! 2024精品新趨勢 永續環保最時尚!!Sherry袁曼軒2,405 次觀看・5 天前
- 7:40花200萬存0056後悔了?4年定期定額0050與0056投報大公開!SHIN LI20,273 次觀看・4 天前