South Korea solved its food waste problem by making recycling irritating

Our habits will not change without inconvenience

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    • The United Nations estimates the world wasted 1.1 billion tonnes of food in 2022, even as 783 million people faced hunger.
    • The United Nations estimates the world wasted 1.1 billion tonnes of food in 2022, even as 783 million people faced hunger. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
    Published Thu, Oct 15, 2026 · 07:00 AM

    IN SEOUL, temperatures drop to minus 10 degrees Celsius in winter.

    But the hardest part is not the cold. It is the fact that one still has to go outside to handle the trash.

    There, I drain the water from the week’s food scraps; wet food is heavier than dry, and the city charges by weight.