By Oh Hyun Woo and Kim Hwaya

The use of disposable products has sharply fallen a year after a voluntary agreement took effect to reduce the use of plastic items, the Ministry of Environment announced on June 4.

The volume of disposable cups discarded at the outlets of 21 franchises, including coffee shops and fast food restaurants, plummeted 72 percent from a combined 206 tons in July last year to 58 tons in April this year.

The ministry attributed the positive result to the establishment of a culture using reusable cups or mugs in stores.

According to the results of the accord's implementation, the number of stores signing the agreement increased by 1,222 over the period, while the amount of disposable cups used by the signatory stores decreased 14.4 percent.

In addition, the ministry said corporate efforts to reduce the consumption of plastic straws and simplify the separation of single-use cups for recycling seemed effective.

"We will explore how to encourage leading companies in related industries to voluntarily participate in the agreement," a ministry official said.

hyunw54@korea.kr