Nowon District to Hold Food Waste Reduction Competition for Apartment Complexes

Incentives and Fee Reductions for Outstanding Apartment Complexes

Nowon District in Seoul (District Mayor Oh Seungrok) will hold a food waste reduction competition for local apartment complexes from this month until October.

This competition will evaluate a total of 186 complexes, specifically targeting apartment buildings with 100 or more households equipped with RFID-based volume-rate waste meters. Officetels, rental apartments, complexes without RFID meters, or those lacking 2024 waste discharge data will be excluded from the evaluation.

Provided by Nowon-gu.

Each apartment complex will be assessed not only on quantitative measures such as the food waste reduction rate over three months and the average waste generated per household, but also on qualitative aspects such as resident-led practices including promotional activities, campaigns, and voluntary guidance teams.

Based on reduction performance and best practices, Nowon District will select a total of 12 outstanding apartment complexes across three groups: those with more than 1,500 households, those with 500 to 1,500 households, and those with 100 to 500 households. Incentives include a plaque certifying excellence, a reduction in food waste processing fees for November (30% for the best, 20% for excellent, and 10% for exemplary complexes), priority support for replacing waste meters, and additional points for participation in apartment support projects.

This initiative is part of the ‘Ten Carbon Neutral Citizen Action Promises of Nowon District’ and aims to reduce waste at its source and promote resource circulation. In addition to food waste, Nowon District is also implementing a variety of resident-driven policies in household waste management, such as supporting the cleaning and disinfection of collection containers for small restaurants.

Oh Seungrok, Mayor of Nowon District, stated, “Reducing food waste starts with buying less and throwing away less, and requires collective effort. I hope this competition will inspire all residents to actively participate in resource circulation and carbon neutrality.”