Thumbs Up! South Korea’s Innovative Approach to Food Waste Is Our Favourite Project of the Month!

There are tonnes of good ideas that can change the world. Regular readers of RESET will already know of a few. Every month, we will choose one idea that stands out thanks to its impact and innovative approach. Our favourite project in May: South Korea's innovative approach to managing food waste.

Autor*in Anna Rees, 06.02.15

There are tonnes of good ideas that can change the world. Regular readers of RESET will already know of a few. Every month, we will choose one idea that stands out thanks to its impact and innovative approach. Our favourite project in May: South Korea’s innovative approach to managing food waste.

A third of the groceries produced worldwide lands in the garbage can every year, equating to 1.3 billion tonnes, an unimaginable amount that comes at the expense of the environment, the economy and humanity. South Korea is going its own way in order to get a handle on the problem. A short film by Karim Chrobog, which is part of the e360 series of films, shows the country’s unusual but innovative idea for reducing food waste.

The idea is that residents throw their rubbish in special high-tech bins that measure the amount of produce being disposed of. The data is then transferred to the respective responsible organisation and anyone throwing away an inordinate amount of waste is asked to contribute to a community kitty. The aim behind the project is to encourage people to rethink their consumption and waste patterns.

Neighbourhoods that have already tested the system have been able to reduce their waste by around 30 percent. The system will be installed in 90 locations across the country and will soon be working nationwide to help reduce food waste. A side-effect of the system is a reduction in methane gas production which is normally emitted by rotting food.

Check out the film on the e360 website.

South Korea is also tackling traffic congestion, energy and bike safety in innovative ways – take a look.

Interested in how food waste is being tackled in the EU? Check out our article about food saving.

This article has been translated in part from the original by Hanadi that appeared on our German platform.

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