South Korea achieves nearly 98% food waste recycling rate

South Korea has significantly increased its food waste recycling rate, rising from less than 3% in the mid-1990s to approximately 97-98% in recent years. The nation utilizes a combination of mandatory separation, landfill bans, and weight-based disposal fees to encourage responsible consumption.

Key components of the system include the use of pre-paid waste bags and RFID-enabled smart bins, particularly in apartment buildings, which weigh food waste to determine charges. These collected scraps are converted into valuable resources such as animal feed, compost, and biogas. For example, the Daejeon Bioenergy Centre processes over 400 tonnes of food scraps daily to generate energy for roughly 20,000 households.

Despite these successes, challenges remain regarding the quality of recycled products, specifically concerning high salt content in fertilizers and the potential spread of livestock diseases through recycled feed. Consequently, the government is shifting focus toward reducing the total volume of food waste generated, with Seoul aiming for a 20% reduction by 2030.