Busan is good

Busan Becomes First in Korea to Pilot Home Food Waste Processors Using IoT and AI Technology

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, beginning in July, it will implement a pilot program to support home food waste processors that incorporate Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology capable of transmitting reduction data—a first in the nation.

Since 2024, the city has been exploring the latest technological approaches for acquiring original reduction data from home food waste processors. Based on demand surveys, the pilot program will be implemented this year in 14 participating districts and counties (excluding Yeongdo-gu and Suyeong-gu).

The home food waste processors to be used in the pilot program will feature:

• ●An electronic scale function to measure the amount of food waste inserted

• ●A wireless communication (Wi-Fi) function to transmit the amount of reduced waste

• ●A powerful deodorization function in the reduction unit

Through the Korea Association of Food Waste Processors (a nonprofit corporation), the city held meetings with related companies to discuss the development of AI- and IoT-based reduction units capable of transmitting reduction data. Four models that completed development and certification in the first half of this year have been selected for the pilot program.

Based on the results of this pilot program, the city plans to expand the support program for home food waste processors to all households in 2026. While this year’s pilot targets households in detached homes and small-scale apartment buildings (fewer than 100 units), the program will be expanded next year to include all types of households in Busan—including large-scale apartment complexes—through secured budget allocations.

To promote the vision of this initiative, on June 25 the city donated several food waste reduction units to an orphanage in Busan. The donation event, jointly organized with the Korea Association of Food Waste Processors, involved delivering the units to child welfare institutions in underprivileged environments, in line with the pilot program’s outreach goals.

Quote from the Director

Lee Byeong-seok, Director of the Environmental Water Policy Office, stated,
“Our aim is to minimize waste generation and maximize recycling while ensuring safe disposal.
Busan will continue its efforts to establish a sustainable model for source reduction of food waste.”