Paying to Dump Trash - How South Koreans Are Protecting the Environment

The recycling movement was initiated by the Korean government in 1990 to encourage families to stop wasting food and throw away less garbage to reduce the pressure on landfills. Currently, Koreans have to pay a fee equivalent to the amount of garbage they throw away each day.

The more trash you throw away, the more money you have to pay, that's how Koreans are doing to protect the environment.

English teacher Michelle Svensson, who moved to South Korea in 2012, was surprised to learn that people in the country are required to separate their food waste and put it in a central bin in their neighborhood. “It’s horrible,” she says. “My husband hates taking out the food waste because it smells bad and it’s embarrassing to take it into the elevator.”

To avoid the hassle of dumping trash, the couple paid a 10,000 won (VND250,000) monthly food waste disposal fee. This waste will be recycled into dry powder and used as fertilizer.

Food waste disposal is a big problem in Korea. The government launched a recycling campaign in 1990 to encourage households to stop wasting food and throw away less raw waste to reduce the pressure on landfills. At that time, most waste was incinerated or dumped into the ocean, but today it is recycled into fertilizer or animal feed.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Korea, in the period of 2008-2014, the country reduced the amount of food waste from 5.1 million tons to 4.8 million tons. Thanks to the waste disposal fee system, the government collected more than 185 billion won to build waste recycling facilities. The amount of paper, cans, bottles, plastic, and iron waste that can be recycled accounts for 80%, the rest will be buried or destroyed.

The food waste disposal system has been in place since 2013. Some residential areas require residents to pay for their waste. The amount of waste is weighed each time it is dumped and residents are charged a fee.

The system has worked well in many cities, including Seoul, a city of 10 million. The average daily waste volume has dropped from 3,300 tons in 2012 to 3,181 tons in 2014. The city is now aiming for 2,318 tons by 2018. To make people understand the seriousness of the problem, the price of garbage bags has also been raised by 30% compared to the beginning of the year. Previously, a 10-liter bag cost between 170 won and 800 won, but now it will be much higher.

The automatic pay-as-you-go trash bin system has helped cut down on waste significantly in Korea.

Yu Gwang Mo, head of Mapo District in Seoul, a city of 390,000 people, said the district has installed 189 electronic trash bins that can automatically weigh trash and plans to install 450 more. Each bin costs 1,700,000 won and can serve 60 households.

“This is a very effective way to reduce household food waste,” he said. “People often buy too much food and then throw it away. When they have to pay for what they waste, they start to learn to control their purchases.”

The only problem with the automatic trash bin project was the foul smell it emitted in the summer, which residents complained about. The district government came up with a solution: using ginkgo leaves to neutralize the smell.

Cho Sung Ja, 58, a resident of the district who lives with her husband and son in a three-bedroom apartment, said she has been using the automated bin system for the past two years. “I think it’s a great idea because people are starting to think about what should be thrown away and what should not be wasted,” she said.

A food recycling company called Cara has been making a killing with this system, which turns food waste into dry powder or fuel that can be used for outdoor cooking. Sales have tripled since 2013 and are expected to reach 10 billion won by the end of this year, said CEO Choi Ho-sik.

According to Tri Thuc Tre