Seoul to launch food waste reduction point system next year for residents using RFID machines

Seoul will roll out a new incentive points program next year that rewards households for reducing food waste. The program will initially be open only to households that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) volume-rate waste disposal machines.

A radio-frequency identification food waste disposal machine in Ulsan [JOONGANG ILBO]

Seoul will roll out a new incentive points program next year that rewards households for reducing food waste, the city government announced on Wednesday.

As the “food waste reduction point system” hinges on accurately measuring how much food waste is generated, the program will initially be open only to households that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) volume-rate waste disposal machines. Households that discard food waste in standard garbage bags will not be eligible.

A RFID machine uses radio waves to automatically identify and track the amount of food waste disposed. When residents swipe an issued card to use the machine, their information and the weight of the discarded waste is transmitted to the Environment Ministry’s central system. The data is then used to calculate disposal fees.

A total of 27,289 RFID food waste disposal machines are installed across Seoul. About 80 percent of apartment complexes in the city use the RFID system, while the figure stands at just 4 percent for single-family homes.

To qualify for points, participants must reduce their food waste output by at least 10 to 30 percent compared to the same period the previous year. A reduction of 10 to 19 percent earns 2,000 points, 20 to 29 percent earns 3,000 points and 30 percent or higher earns 5,000 points.

The points will be automatically logged onto participants' “eco mileage” accounts. Eco mileage points can be used like cash to pay taxes and apartment management fees or be exchanged for gift certificates.

Trash is left unattended at Incheon International Airport on Oct.3. [KIM JEONG-JAE]

To ensure fair evaluations, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has worked with the Korea Environment Corporation to establish the system and allow participants to easily check their calculated reduction rates and earned points.

Applications for the first half of 2026 will be accepted from Jan. 5 to 23 next year. Interested residents must sign up on the eco mileage website and register their address and RFID disposal machine information. Participation will be confirmed after administrative verification.

The city plans to accept up to 1,000 participants each in the first and second halves of 2026 on a first come, first served basis. All participants will start with 10,000 points.

“Reducing food waste is an everyday action that delivers significant environmental and economic benefits, including carbon reduction and lower waste treatment costs,” said Kwon Min, the city government’s director-general of climate and environment. “We hope many citizens will take part in the new food waste reduction point system starting next year.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM MIN-WOOK [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]