Waste Minimization and Recycling in South Korea (SK) and New Jersey (NJ)
by Yena from Old Tappan, NJ
People too often blame environmental deterioration on big business and industry. But the impact of 6.6 billion individuals in the world is hardly insignificant. Most of the solid waste we generate is not recycled, but sent to landfills, which account for about 25% of methane emissions in the U.S., or incinerators, which emit a host of air pollutants like mercury, cadmium, and carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas causing global warming. With landfills overflowing and incinerators polluting our air, communities around the world are tackling growing environmental problems in creative ways.
With a population density of 481 people/km2—one of the highest in the world—South Korea has a particularly high waste generation per unit area and faces serious environmental pressures. Consequently there is a high price, literally, for creating waste. As stated in the Seoul Help Center’s guide, which provides specific instructions for garbage disposal, each person pays for what he throws out. There are only two types of garbage bags, one for food waste and one for general waste, and their prices vary depending on their sizes. Recyclable items can be put in nonstandard bags, so residents who recycle well save money. Failing to adhere to these rules results in a fine as high as $215. This volume-based waste fee system, implemented in SK in 1995, provides an economic incentive to reduce waste and promotes environmental stewardship since recycling is free. “It changes the way I shop,” said Hae-sun Park, a Seoul resident. “I don’t buy anything I might throw out. It’s expensive to just throw things out when you don’t need them.” The program has indeed proven successful. In 2002, for the first time, the rate of recycling surpassed the rate of landfilling, with the recycling rate increasing from 26.2% to 44.0% and the rate of landfilling decreasing from 68.3% (1996) to 41.5% (2002).
These stringent waste disposal measures are necessitated by the fact that 49-million people live in a region the size of Indiana. South Koreans are accustomed to conserving and seldom waste the little space they have. In cities like Seoul, parking lots are stacked many levels high to save room, and malls like Doota sprawl vertically, not horizontally, some rising ten or more stories. Korea’s strict garbage disposal rules are just one aspect of life for the conservation-conscious nation.
By stark contrast, only 10.9% of NJ communities are “Pay-As-You-Throw,” meaning residents pay based on the amount of trash they throw out rather than paying a fixed fee. But students in NJ recently made a different kind of concerted effort to promote recycling. This year, eight NJ colleges participated in RecycleMania, a national competition among universities to see which school collects the most recyclables in ten weeks. Rutgers University was the runner-up for Grand Champion, based on both the school’s waste reduction and recycling. Rutgers placed in the top five in four other categories, including first in the collection of recyclable organic foods and first for the highest gross tonnage of recyclables.
According to the National Recycling Coalition, people between ages 18 and 24 recycle the least, which is why RecycleMania was founded in the first place—to promote recycling among college-age students and increase awareness about waste minimization. The program’s success can be measured by the 41.3-million tons of recyclables that were collected nationwide over ten weeks. NJ schools enthusiastically joined the race—only five other states in the nation had more schools participating in the competition. Their participation and the fact that schools are competing for bragging rights rather than a monetary prize say something about NJ students. They are eager for some friendly competition. Kevin Lyons, who coordinates the recycling programs at Rutgers, said that this year, the recycling rate there increased to nearly 60%, especially with administrators like him actively organizing activities like a recyclable sculpture contest. A NYT article quoted Mr. Lyons, who said that he wanted Rutgers to beat Princeton. “We would have a parade on Nassau Street” (Spiegel). I interviewed Rich Lin, a sophomore at Rutgers, who also expressed his enthusiasm about competing with nearby schools and getting recognition for his school. “It was a great chance to make a name for Rutgers as being more conscientious about the environment and concerned about global citizenship,” he said. The article also quoted Princeton’s building services director, Jonathan Baer, who said, “It’s a good time…to focus on recycling that’s not punitive or paternal. It’s a time to reinforce our focus with some renewed energy” (Spiegel).
Both NJ and Korea, though half a world apart, can learn from each other. The youth in SK could become newly energized by generating the same sense of friendly competition evident in NJ’s communities. Korea’s system, implemented by the government rather than organized by community residents, clearly works in terms of efficiency, but a contest like RecycleMania that gets students riled up is more likely to promote true environmental concern than a punitive waste-recycling system.
Conversely, all of NJ should be a “Pay-As-You-Throw” community, like SK, in order to prevent waste, not manage it. NJ’s recycling rate of 45% (1995) dropped down to 32% (2002). Of the 19.3-million tons of solid waste generated by the state in 2002, nearly one-third was sent to landfills and incinerators. Because the state has a particularly high waste generation—with each person producing nearly two pounds more waste than the average national citizen—implementing strict waste and recycling rules in the community would force residents to make an invaluable lifestyle change—to conserve and recycle.
Communities in SK and NJ approach the recycling and waste minimization problem in entirely different ways that stem from their culture and environment. Both communities have made a difference and can alleviate the waste problem further by adopting each other’s approaches. Waste management and recycling are not problems that can be overlooked. If the people living in today’s world leave such an obvious negative mark on the environment, then those same people have the potential to noticeably move the planet in a healthier direction.
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