Nothing Goes to Waste

In many places, there is no incentive as far as garbage collection fees go to take steps to limit the amount of waste thrown away.  Whether one is conscientious about waste management making a serious effort at all times to limit waste produced or whether one ignores such attempts completely will make no difference in the monthly bill. South Koreais one of the few places where it does make a difference what one pays.  The more garbage that must be collected, the higher the bill will be.

This system is being further refined so that the correlation between waste and fees will be as exact as it possibly can.  The system will be applied to both businesses and residents.

In many countries such as theUnited StatesandGreat Britainnearly 40 per cent of the food is just thrown away.  This happens for a host of reasons.  Supermarkets have sell by dates.  When these expire, the foods have to be discarded.  The sell by dates make it difficult for the markets to be able to donate the food to charities because it is no longer seen as fit for consumption.

Once food is brought home, it also often ends up in the garbage once it is no longer fresh.  Leftovers often end up in the rear of the refrigerator until someone decides it is finally time to throw out.

South Koreahas a comparable rate of food wastage.  The nation is famous for meals with many dishes, each with a small portion.  Such a style of cooking lends itself to wastage and leftovers which then become more wastage.  The government however has set ambitious target for reducing the amount of food tossed.

One innovative method being tested is a food waste bin that measures how much food waste is being taken in right down to the very gram.  These are set up at mass transit stations where riders are prone to toss away half eaten items purchased from vending machines. The customer is then billed this amount to their transit cards.  It has helped cut down on the proportion considerably.

Machine Opens on Command

This trash can marvel opens after being tapped by a transit card or upon receiving a credit card number.  The user then tosses their container within.

For food wastes in the home,South Koreais requiring residents to purchase four different types of bags according to the sort of food waste they are likely to produce.  These are disposed of in different fashion according to the content.  Many of these items can find use for bio-fuels, animal feed, fertilizers, and other industrial uses.

South Koreahas been challenged of late to find places to dispose of it garbage.  The country is densely populated with large urban districts that have been heavily built up.  This has made it expensive to get rid of the garbage.  At the same time, the country’s rising standard of living has meant that more garbage is being generated.