Changwon City Promotes 'Pilot Project for Wireless Recognition-Based Volume Charging System for Food Waste in Apartment Complexes'

The appearance of the wireless recognition-based volume-based system for food waste in apartment complexes being installed and promoted in Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. (Photo by Changwon-si)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Changwon City in Gyeongnam announced on the 23rd that it will promote a pilot project for a wireless recognition-based pay-as-you-throw system for food waste in apartments and other multi-family housing starting in July to reduce food waste discharge.

The wireless recognition-based pay-as-you-throw system uses a radio frequency identification system, where each household is charged based on the amount of food waste they dispose of, verified through an electronic card linked to a weight-measuring scale.

Currently, the fee system for food waste in multi-family housing involves inserting a payment chip into a dedicated communal food waste collection container, and the cost is evenly distributed among households and charged through each household's maintenance fees. This method has been criticized for its limitations in reducing food waste.

Initially, six sites that applied among multi-family housing complexes with more than 500 households in the jurisdiction will be selected to implement the wireless recognition-based pay-as-you-throw system through a three-year lease of the devices.

Kim Dong-joo, head of the Environmental Sanitation Division of Changwon City, stated, "This pilot project for the wireless recognition-based pay-as-you-throw system for food waste in multi-family housing is expected to reduce food waste by more than 30%," and added, "We plan to analyze the pros and cons of the pilot project and expand it to all multi-family housing in the jurisdiction starting in 2022."

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