South Korean waste disposal policy (known as "jongnyangje") operates under the Ministry of Environment. Waste is required to be separated into four parts: landfill waste, organic waste, recyclable waste, and large waste items. Recyclable waste such as: paper, plastics and glass, should be separated before disposal. Fines are applicable to violations of the policy. [1]
A Circular economy is one which minimizes waste and makes the most of resources. It means "a production and consumption model which involves reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products to keep materials within the economy whenever possible", while also considering waste as a resource, "minimizing the actual amount of waste". [2] South Korea was ranked as the second highest recycling country among the OECD countries, at a rate of 59% in 2013. [3]
On January 1, 2018, the Ministry of Environment announced that they would enact the "Basic Law on the Resource Circulation". The law includes systems for resource recycling, recycling performance management, evaluation of product cycle utilization, and set waste disposal fees. The 'resource recycling performance management system' is applied to businesses that discharge over 100 tons of designated waste per year or over 1,000 tons of other waste. If the producer has difficulty in implementing such a recycling system, a 'circulation availability assessment system' will be introduced. Every three years, evaluation plans will be established and results for particular businesses revealed on the internet. The waste disposal fees of 10 ~ 30 won/kg of landfill or incinerated waste are charged to the municipalities and businesses unless they are 'recyclable resources' which are not environmentally harmful. [4]
The government of South Korea provided data regarding a large decline in the amount of waste generated in a day by households from 1.3kg in 1994 to 0.94kg in 2013. The buried waste rate fell from 81.2 per cent to 9.6 per cent; burned waste fell from 15.3 per cent to 6.4 per cent, and recycled waste grew from 15.3 percent to 83.2 percent from the year of 1994 to 2013. This enabled South Korea to accelerate economic growth by saving money. [5]
Previously, coated paper (such as in cups) couldn't be recycled due to the presence of polyethylene (PE) on the surface of the paper. However, Repaper, a venture company in South Korea, developed and marketed recyclable coated cups by using the component of acrylate instead of PE. This advancement in methods has been shared not only with South Korea but with Europe and United States also. [6]
One of the largest sources of food waste are small dishes known as Banchan (반찬). South Korea creates food wastage over 130 kilograms per person every year. [7]
From 1995, the country separated the food waste collection system from households in order to decrease the amount of food waste going to landfill. The system requires households to purchase particular garbage bags to throw general waste separately from food waste. Response to this initiative was lukewarm, as a high rate of separation of food was not achieved. [8]
According to the Ministry of Environment in 2005, total food waste created was about 13,000 ton per day. This is approximately over 27% of the municipal solid waste total. Food waste in South Korea has a higher moisture content than in other countries due to the nature of national cuisine; this presents serious threats to groundwater and soil contamination in landfill. It also has high salinity and low pH. Greenhouse gases are produced during decomposition, and therefore landfills would require gas collection facilities. Since 2005 food waste going to landfill has been prohibited in South Korea and a food waste recycling system was implemented. Food waste is now turned into feed-stock for animals and fertilizers. However, ocean water can be affected by the disposal of Food Waste Leachate (FWL), and at the same time organic load in plants increases as sewage treatment plants usually discharge to the sea. Disposal of organic waste to the ocean has been banned since 2012. [9]
The country has implemented other measures, such as smart bins that can measure the weight of food wastage through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). According to its weight, citizens are charged through their identification cards. 47,000 tonnes of food were reduced in 6 years. 6,000 of these smart bins are placed in Seoul. [7]
The South Korean population readily embraced these measures, and actively participate in said programs. [8] The food waste recycling rate was 2% in 1995; since 2013 food waste recycled through biodegradable bags has been mandatory, and fees collected from payment for the bags are reinvested into recycling food waste. South Korea's food waste recycling rate grew to 95%. [7]
Solid food waste goes through a crusher then a crusher and screen. It is passed to a screw press then dryer, composter, curing facility, and finally moved to storage or turned into fertilizer. The liquid food waste is processed in a different way than solid food waste. The FWL is applied to food waste in the aforementioned step to turn the mixture into fertilizer. Leachate is processed by 99.9 tonnes a day by the two Korean facilities that control 130 tonnes of food waste in total every day. [9]
The Law for Promotion of Resources Saving and Reutilization (LRSR) was enacted in 1992 by the recycling management of South Korea. However, the system termed Producer Deposit-Refund (PDR) actually managed e-waste. The PDR system ran from 1992 to 2002, and was meant to increase the economic responsibility of manufacturers to promote e-waste recycling. It involved the Korea Recycling Corporation (KORECO), Ministry of Environment (MOE), and producers. The MOE received prepaid deposits from manufacturers corresponding to their outputs for the previous year - this sum was meant to cover the costs of recycling said outputs. The actual recycling costs were higher than the prepaid deposit which resulted in manufacturers choosing to make prepaid deposits instead of actually striving to recycle the e-waste. Some argue its method of recycling e-waste through municipalities was inappropriate. [10]
As South Korea joined the OECD in 1996, recycling strategies were developed in the line of OECD publications and other developed countries. [10] The South Korean government enacted laws in 2003 wherein consumer electronics manufacturers were made fully responsible for the recycling of end-of-life (EOL) goods. When not able to fulfill their recycling quotas, they are charged. [11] This is known as a Producer Recycling (PR) system. Every appliance (e.g. televisions or computers) has specific recycling goals set between 55-70% in relation to its weight. There are three types of methods which producers can choose to achieve the goal. The first method is producers creating their individual techniques and systems of recycling. The second method consists of outsourcing the recycling process. Lastly, a third method exists wherein manufacturers can join the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), which in turn completes the recycling process for them. A 2 year trial period was set to initiate the PR system in June 2000 by the MOE; 3 large companies chose to join the project voluntarily: Samsung, Daewoo and LG. During the trial producers were ordered to build recycling facilities in lieu of making monetary contributions. This initiative saw the construction of the Asan Recycling center in 1988 by Samsung, Chilseo Recycling center in 2001 by LG, and the Metropolitan Electronics Recycling Center in 2003. [10]
A report by the MOE in 2003 showed that e-waste increased as South Korea's economy grew. Many home appliances are recyclable and those materials can be used to create other products. About 40% of e-waste is collected at a local government level, while about 50 percent is collected at companies' logistic centers, the rest being from second hand goods centers and dealers. The report stated that from collected waste home appliances 12% of them were reused, 69% were recycled and 19% were taken into incineration and landfill. [12]
China was the largest reusable items importer in the world until it stopped buying plastic waste from 2018. Due to its value, the 48 recycling businesses present in South Korea stopped collecting plastic waste, causing it to be piled up. In April 2018, the government took action to financially support these businesses. The Ministry of Environment decided to decrease plastic waste by 50% while increasing the rate of recycling from 34 to 70% before 2030. The Ministry of Environment would prohibit the production of colored plastic bottles in 2020, given their higher recycling cost. The government has also discussed the possibility of banning unnecessary packaging, as well as goods that contain materials such as polyvinyl chloride. In addition, plastic bag use would be discouraged, and plastic straws and disposable cups will be eliminated before 2027. The usage of plastic cups in cafes became illegal in August 2018 except for take-out orders. A penalty of 2,000,000 won applies. Businesses are not allowed to provide customers with plastic umbrella covers, instead of being encouraged to purchase water-absorbent carpets and/or umbrella dryers. Citizens are discouraged to use plastic bags by businesses offering paper bags instead, with non-compliant businesses charged 300,000 won (Indeed, plastic bags are not considered as a recycling material in South Korea). [13]
Moreover, a regulation to collect colorless transparent PET bottles separately from other plastic recycling materials. This was implemented from December 25, 2020, and applied for nationwide households from December 25, 2021. [14]
Since 2015, the local Seoul government introduced a new prohibition of paper and/or plastic in common garbage bags. This gave rise to some confusion, given items such as tissue paper and diapers were also categorised as paper. The government has since clarified that they were not going to be recycled. [15]
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the properties it had in its original state. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. It can also prevent the waste of potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reducing energy use, air pollution and water pollution.
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process and waste-related laws, technologies, and economic mechanisms.
A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, trash dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, refuse was simply left in piles or thrown into pits; in archeology this is known as a midden.
Zero waste, or waste minimization, is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are repurposed and/or reused. The goal of the movement is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, oceans, or any other part of the environment. Currently 9% of global plastic is recycled. In a zero waste system, all materials are reused until the optimum level of consumption is reached.
Kerbside collection or curbside collection is a service provided to households, typically in urban and suburban areas, of collecting and disposing of household waste and recyclables. It is usually accomplished by personnel using specially built vehicles to pick up household waste in containers that are acceptable to, or prescribed by, the municipality and are placed on the kerb.
Waste diversion or landfill diversion is the process of diverting waste from landfills. The success of landfill diversion can be measured by comparison of the size of the landfill from one year to the next. If the landfill grows minimally or remains the same, then policies covering landfill diversion are successful. For example, currently in the United States there are 3000 landfills. A measure of the success of landfill diversion would be if that number remains the same or is reduced. In 2015 it was recorded that the national average of landfill diversion in the United States was 33.8%, while San Francisco had implemented the most effective policies and had recorded a landfill diversion rate of 77%.
This article outlines the position and trends of recycling in Canada. Since the 1980s, most mid to large municipalities in most provinces have recycling programs, relying on curbside collection with either bins, boxes, or bags. These systems are not standardized, and the specific process differs for each province. Certain provinces have container-deposit systems in place for bottles, cans, and other beverage containers.
In 2015, 43.5% of the United Kingdom's municipal waste was recycled, composted or broken down by anaerobic digestion. The majority of recycling undertaken in the United Kingdom is done by statutory authorities, although commercial and industrial waste is chiefly processed by private companies. Local Authorities are responsible for the collection of municipal waste and operate contracts which are usually kerbside collection schemes. The Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 required local authorities in England to provide every household with a separate collection of at least two types of recyclable materials by 2010. Recycling policy is devolved to the administrations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales who set their own targets, but all statistics are reported to Eurostat.
The waste management in Switzerland is based on the polluter pays principle. Bin bags are taxed with pay-per-bag fees in three quarters of the communes. The recycling rate doubled in 20 years due to this strategy. The recycling rate for municipal solid waste exceeds 50 percent.
Recycling in Japan, an aspect of waste management in Japan, is based on the Japanese Container and Packaging Recycling Law. Plastic, paper, PET bottles, aluminium and glass are collected and recycled. Japan’s country profile in Waste Atlas shows that in 2012 Recycling Rate was 20.8%.
Waste management in Japan today emphasizes not just the efficient and sanitary collection of waste, but also reduction in waste produced and recycling of waste when possible. This has been influenced by its history, particularly periods of significant economic expansion, as well as its geography as a mountainous country with limited space for landfills. Important forms of waste disposal include incineration, recycling and, to a smaller extent, landfills and land reclamation. Although Japan has made progress since the 1990s in reducing waste produced and encouraging recycling, there is still further progress to be made in reducing reliance on incinerators and the garbage sent to landfills. Challenges also exist in the processing of electronic waste and debris left after natural disasters.
The management of waste in New Zealand has become more regulated to reduce associated environmental issues. According to OECD data, New Zealand is the third most wasteful country in the OECD.
Waste management laws govern the transport, treatment, storage, and disposal of all manner of waste, including municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, and nuclear waste, among many other types. Waste laws are generally designed to minimize or eliminate the uncontrolled dispersal of waste materials into the environment in a manner that may cause ecological or biological harm, and include laws designed to reduce the generation of waste and promote or mandate waste recycling. Regulatory efforts include identifying and categorizing waste types and mandating transport, treatment, storage, and disposal practices.
Source-separated organics (SSO) is the system by which waste generators segregate compostable materials from other waste streams at the source for separate collection.
Resource recovery is using wastes as an input material to create valuable products as new outputs. The aim is to reduce the amount of waste generated, thereby reducing the need for landfill space, and optimising the values created from waste. Resource recovery delays the need to use raw materials in the manufacturing process. Materials found in municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste, commercial waste and industrial wastes can be used to recover resources for the manufacturing of new materials and products. Plastic, paper, aluminium, glass and metal are examples of where value can be found in waste.
Taiwan has one of the most efficient recycling programs globally, with a 55% collection rate from households and businesses and a 77% collection rate from industrial waste in 2019. Taiwan’s high recycling rates are unattainable in most countries due to Taiwanese geographical advantages along with efficient waste processing technologies and systems.
The Hong Kong plastic shopping bag environmental levy scheme is an environmental levy scheme designed to reduce the manufacture and distribution of plastic shopping bags (PSBs) in Hong Kong. PSBs are made of materials that are not easily degradable. The extensive disposal of PSBs is putting stringent pressure on the very limited landfill capacity, thereby causing severe waste problems in Hong Kong.
China's waste import ban, instated at the end of 2017, prevented foreign inflows of waste products. Starting in early 2018, the government of China, under Operation National Sword, banned the import of several types of waste, including plastics with a contamination level of above 0.05 percent. The ban has greatly affected recycling industries worldwide, as China had been the world's largest importer of waste plastics and processed hard-to-recycle plastics for other countries, especially in the West.
Waste management in South Korea involves waste generation reduction and ensuring maximum recycling of the waste. This includes the appropriate treatment, transport, and disposal of the collected waste. South Korea's Waste Management Law was established in 1986, replacing the Environmental Protection Law (1963) and the Filth and Cleaning Law (1973). This new law aimed to reduce general waste under the waste hierarchy in South Korea. This Waste Management Law imposed a volume-based waste fee system, effective for waste produced by both household and industrial activities.
Waste management in Australia started to be implemented as a modern system by the second half of the 19th century, with its progresses driven by technological and sanitary advances. It is currently regulated at both federal and state level. The Commonwealth's Department of the Environment and Energy is responsible for the national legislative framework.
