3rd ANOR

NEWSLETTER

byKORRA (2005-06-30)

1. New Policy on the Food Waste Management
During the last decade, there were a lots of trails and errs for the establishment of food waste
recycling policy in Korea. Last year, a new waste management law was introduced for the foodwaste disposal. According to this law, direct land filling of food waste was no longer allowedfrom Jan. 1st. 2005, and all food waste should separately be disposed at every house andcollected for the proper treatment. In addition, all food waste treatment facilities should beinspected for the construction and periodic ally thereafter.

2. Workshop for the Activation of the Private Food Waste Recycling Facilities
Workshop for the activation of the private food-waste recycling facilities was held at Chateau
Grace Hotel in Deajeon for two days from 24th. to 25th of Feb. 2005. Organized by KORRA
and sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, this workshop gathered a lots of people
including private owners of food waste treatment facilities, and central and local civil servants
related to food waste management. At workshop, a new inspection system adopted by thegovernment on the food waste recycling facility was introduced. The followings are summary ofthis new inspection system.
Regulations relative to the application of the waste management law
Article 23 ( Items for report and inspection of waste treatment facility)lFood waste treatment facility that has a capacity of over 100kg per day should be reportedand inspected.

lInspection should be performed by the designated inspection institution.

lThere are two kinds of inspections; one is for the construction of the equipment, the other isthe periodic inspection by one time every year. The first periodic inspection should beuntil 6/30, 2006.

Attached table 4 (Standards and methods in detail for the collection, transportation, storage, andtreatment of food waste)
In this attached table, various standards and methods are described for the collection andtransportation, for storage (for the proper storage, food waste should be discarded onto theexclusive plastic bags or boxes), and the proper treatment.
Attached table 7 (Standards for the establishment of food waste treatment facility)
Item 2004-161 by the Ministry of Environment (Regulations related to the detailed inspection
methods of food waste treatment facility)

3. 2005 Spring Seminar of KORRA
2005 Spring symposium of KORRA was held on 20th of May at Chung-Ang University inSeoul, with the title “ The value-added promoting plans of the food waste recycling products”.
The symposium was sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Commerce,
Industry and Energy.

At the symposium, an officer from the Ministry of Environment

presented a subject titled with “Management Policy of Food Waste and Future Improvement”,
and other man from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy introduced a certification
system, which is about GR(Good Recycling)system, for the food waste recycling products, andalso suggested for a good plan to increase a demand for the GR-rated recycling products of foodwaste.
At the seminar, some companies, which are engaged in food waste recycling business, alsopresented various recycling methods as model cases with activation plans on this business.

4. Comprehensive Measure for Food Waste Control by the Ministry of Environment
The Ministry of Environment launches Comprehensive Measures for Food Waste Control,
aimed at minimizing food waste discharge while maximizing recycling. The measures set
specific waste reduction and recycling targets to be attained by 2007 as below.
I. Food Waste Discharge : 11,397 tons/day ('02) -> 10,302 tons/day ('07)
II. Recycling Rate : 63% ('02) -> 77% ('07)

The new measures were built upon the learned outcomes from the implementation of ‘BasicPlans for Food Waste Resourcification’, which was carried out for the last 5 years by theMinistry of Environment in hands with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Healthand Welfare.
Reducing food waste discharge from 11,397 tons to 10,302 tons/day by 2007 requires 2%
reduction every year. To attain this target, the Ministry introduces various precautionarystrategies. Among these include encouraging voluntary actions by the business sector,promoting joint education/PR programs with civil groups, and providing various incentives tothose who demonstrate exemplary models for waste reduction.
Furthermore, in order to accomplish the recycling target, the Ministry will increase the numberof households subject to Separate Food Waste Discharge System from 11,100,000 to 16,920,000(94% of total households) by 2007, while widely expanding waste treatment facilities from 80
plants capable of treating 2,598 tons/day to 130 plants capable of treating 6,781 tons/day. Oncethese measures are successfully implemented, the ROK will attain 77% food waste recycling
rate by 2007.