Donggu District in Gwangju announced on May 7 that it has installed "RFID food waste volume-based fee machines," which had previously only been installed and operated in apartment complexes, at five recycling community yards in general residential neighborhoods.
The "RFID food waste volume-based fee machines" have currently been distributed to 82% of apartment complexes within Donggu, and the district plans to expand their deployment to detached housing areas as well.
The newly installed locations are: the recycling community yard at the public parking lot in front of Jinyang Apartment, the recycling community yard at the public parking lot in Jiwon 1-dong, the recycling community yard at the public parking lot in front of Samtae Senior Center, the recycling community yard at the parking lot in front of Seongchon Senior Center, and the recycling community yard in Jisan 2-dong. Additional installations are also planned for Naeji Village.
With the proportion of non-apartment housing reaching 44% (based on the number of households), a significant reduction in food waste disposal is anticipated, along with improvements to alley environments. The prepaid food waste volume-based fee machine is a system that charges a fee based on weight after card authentication, allowing users to pay fees that vary according to the amount they personally dispose of. This has resulted in high user satisfaction.
In particular, there is no longer the inconvenience of having to use food waste payment certificates (stickers), and users can dispose of even small amounts of food waste without having to fill a dedicated collection container. This allows households to process food waste whenever it is generated.
The disposal fee for the prepaid volume-based fee machine is 95 won per kilogram, which is similar to the cost of the existing payment certificate (sticker). Users can utilize rechargeable prepaid cards such as Cashbee, as well as check or credit cards with transportation card functions.
The major distinguishing feature of the newly installed prepaid machines is their integration with "Donggurami On," a resource circulation platform app developed by Donggu District. This provides users with individual statistics on their disposal amounts. Beyond simply disposing of food waste, users can monitor trends and changes, and easily track their efforts and achievements in reducing waste. The district plans to use this data to implement policies such as a "Food Waste Reduction Contest."
District Mayor Lim Taek stated, "The installation of prepaid volume-based fee machines is expected to not only reduce food waste, but also alleviate resident inconveniences such as odors caused by the use of dedicated containers. It is also anticipated to greatly improve the environment of alleys in general residential neighborhoods."
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