Gwangju Seo-gu, Pilot Installation of 2 RFID Food Waste Weighing Machines

Published 07 Jun.2024 15:35(KST)

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 7th that it has pilot-installed two RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) food waste weighing machines to reduce waste in residential areas.

In December last year, Seo-gu reviewed the suitability of installation targeting general residential areas and selected two locations: Yang 3-dong and Seochang-dong.

Residential area RFID installation site. [Photo by Seogu]

The RFID food waste weighing machine is a system that charges fees based on the weight of food waste after card recognition. Fees are charged differentially according to the amount of waste, and under the principle of burden by the disposer, users can accurately pay disposal fees individually, resulting in high citizen satisfaction.

In particular, the RFID weighing machine eliminates the hassle of purchasing food waste payment certificates, and allows disposal of small amounts of food waste without needing to fill a dedicated collection container, making it convenient to handle food waste whenever it occurs at home.

The disposal fee for the RFID weighing machine is 95 KRW per kilogram, which is the same cost as attaching a payment certificate (sticker) to a dedicated food waste collection container in single-family houses, and users can charge and use a Cashbee transportation card.

Chaebonggil, Director of the Cleaning Administration Division, said, “The RFID weighing machines, which were previously only available in apartments, have been introduced to residential areas, reducing the amount of food waste discharged and decreasing the number of dedicated food waste collection containers in alleys, greatly benefiting the residential environment.”

Meanwhile, Seo-gu has been installing RFID food waste weighing machines in apartment complexes since 2013 and currently operates 1,082 units. Since the installation of RFID devices, the amount of food waste discharged has decreased by about 30%.