South Korea’s got it all figured out when it comes to tackling food waste. While some countries are still figuring out where to toss their leftovers, the folks in South Korea have made recycling food waste part of their daily routine. Yeah, it’s that normal for them. So, how are they pulling this off?
Pay-As-You-Trash
The idea? If you’re tossing out food, you’re going to have to cough up some cash—literally paying for the volume of your waste. The goal was simple: make people think twice before throwing food away and encourage recycling.
According to BBC (October 14, 2024), journalist Yuna Ku, who lives in Seoul, explains how it works. She has to pay to recycle her leftover food by dumping it into special machines equipped with sensors. These machines are everywhere in her apartment complex. And here’s the kicker: if you don’t follow the rules, you get fined. And not just any slap-on-the-wrist fine—this is South Korea we’re talking about, where they mean business!
The Fines Are No Joke
Yuna mentions that in her building, there’s a sign warning, “Someone just dumped food waste illegally. We have cameras and we’re watching you, so if you do it, expect a fine!” Yikes, right?
How much are we talking about here? Well, for households, fines can go up to USD 70. But if you’re running a business like a restaurant and you’re caught messing up? You could be looking at a whopping 10 million won (around USD 7,400). Ouch.
97% of Food Waste? Recycled!
Thanks to this system, South Korea is recycling an impressive 97.5% of its food waste—putting most other countries (we’re looking at you, America) to shame. For context, the EPA in the U.S.
It Wasn’t Always This Way
This didn’t happen overnight. Back in 1996, South Korea was only recycling 2.6% of its food waste. The transformation began in the 1980s, during a time of rapid industrialization and urbanization, which also came with the rise of big social problems like—you guessed it—trash.
With 50 million people crammed into a space the size of South Korea, trash management became a big issue, especially when landfills started popping up near residential areas. People were NOT happy. The smell, the liquid waste, and the methane (a greenhouse gas nastier than CO2) from decomposing food were enough to spark protests. So, yeah, something had to change.
How It All Started
But the real game-changer came in 2013, when the Weight Food Waste Fee (WBWF) system was rolled out. The concept was simple: the more food you toss, the more you pay. And nobody likes forking out cash just to throw stuff away, right?
Keeping Up With Tech
Of course, it’s not all about money. Technology has played a massive role in keeping this system running smoothly.