Gwangju Seo-gu 'Food Waste Reduction Device Installation Support Project' Promotion

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) is promoting the 'Food Waste Reducer Installation Support Project' targeting large-scale waste generators and general restaurants.

According to Seo-gu on the 19th, the reducer is effective in reducing about 80% of food waste, which can reduce disposal costs, and it is hygienic as it does not require collection and transportation of food waste through self-processing.

Seogu District Office building. [Photo by Seogu]

In addition, byproducts of food waste generated through the reducer can be recycled as compost or soil conditioners, creating additional benefits.

Seo-gu will provide support on a first-come, first-served basis, covering 50% of the purchase cost of the reducer per business (up to 10 million KRW) with a total project budget of 70 million KRW.

The reducers eligible for subsidy support are food waste reducers operating by methods such as heating/drying, fermentation, fermentation-drying, composting/feed production, and maturation, and must be products certified by authorized institutions such as ▲Electrical Appliances Safety Standards (KC Mark) quality certification ▲K Mark (Korea Testing Laboratory) ▲Environmental Label (Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute) ▲Group Standard (Korea Food Waste Processor Cooperative) ▲Q Mark certification.

However, kitchen waste disposers that grind food waste and discharge it together with sewage are excluded from the support target.

Applications can be made until the 31st of next month through Botam-e online application or by mail/visit (Cleaning Administration Division, Resource Circulation Team).

Chae Bonggil, head of the Cleaning Administration Division, said, "We will continue to promote various policies for the source reduction of food waste and resource recycling."

Meanwhile, Seo-gu has been promoting the reducer support project annually since 2020 to achieve carbon neutrality, and has supported the installation of a total of 36 reducers so far.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dongho baekok@asiae.co.kr