Amid nationwide hoarding of pay-as-you-throw trash bags driven by concerns over raw-material supplies and rumors of price hikes, South Chungcheong Province (Chungcheongnam-do) says it faces no supply shortages.
On March 25, the provincial government reported that its inventory and pending-delivery survey shows it has enough bags to last up to 570 days.
A provincial official said petrochemical complexes in the region will receive priority access to raw materials, so officials do not expect supply problems.
The province conducted a full survey the previous day of stocks and pending deliveries across its 15 cities and counties.
The survey found Cheonan holds 2,882,920 household trash bags and can immediately receive 4,400,000 more from suppliers — roughly a 150-day supply.
Asan had 1,370,785 bags in stock with 4,945,000 immediately deliverable, equal to about 560 days’ worth.
Seocheon County had the largest stock, enough for 570 days.
Other areas reported supplies as follows: Dangjin City 487 days, Hongseong County 328 days, Geumsan County 300 days, Nonsan City 270 days, Buyeo County 220 days, and Gyeryong City 218 days.
However, the province identified three municipalities with relatively low supplies — about 40 to 70 days — and plans to manage distribution to prevent any disruption.
A provincial official said unfounded rumors about price increases have spurred a surge in trash-bag purchases in some municipalities. But supplies are ample, and prices are public fees set by local ordinances, so they are not subject to market-driven increases. The official stressed that hoarding is unnecessary.
Most Commented