Sejong, May 9 - The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) has released the 6th National Waste Statistical Survey results, which includes information on waste generated and handled by types from 2021 to 2022.

The National Waste Statistical Survey is conducted every five years under the Framework Act on Resource Circulation. It's a comprehensive survey that investigates the overall status of waste generation, including municipal waste, industrial waste, and waste treatment facilities. The survey uses a sampling method that includes ary investigations and field surveys. For domestic waste, the survey involves opening and checking the contents of pay-as-you-throw bags generated in the sample census output area to determine the volume and type of waste generated. The 6th National Waste Statistical Survey revealed that, on average, each person discards 950.6g of household waste daily. It is an increase of 2.2% from the previous survey conducted five years ago, which reported a daily average of 929.9g. Pay-as-you-throw bagged household waste saw the most considerable increase, rising by 29.5% from 255.4g to 330.8g. Among the items that contributed to this increase were:

Synthetic resins (53.16g to 93.3g).

Wet wipes (10.59g to 22.49g).

Food (12.3g to 19.73g).

Face masks (4.71g).

The survey was conducted from October 2021 to August 2022, during which the COVID-19 pandemic caused socioeconomic changes. As the survey was conducted during the same period, it is possible that these changes affected the results.

Daily, each person separates and disposes of 310.9g of food waste, a 15.5% decline from the 368g reported in the 5th National Waste Statistical Survey. The quantity of separated recyclable resources remains mostly unchanged at 308.8g, similar to the 306.5g reported previously. However, there is a significant difference in the number of recyclable resources separated by source, with apartments generating 218.76g, townhouses/multi-household houses 85.99g, and detached houses 68.33g.

In addition, this survey looked at using disposable products for the first time in National Waste Statistical surveys. The results indicate that each person discards an average of 37.32g of disposable products daily, resulting in 703,327 tons of waste annually as of 2022.

Regarding how to dispose of waste, the number of disposable products mixed in the pay-as-you-throw bags (25.53g/day·person) was more than double that of those separated and recycled (11.79g/day·person). The household sector, which includes apartments, townhouses, and detached houses, was responsible for 37.6% of the disposable products, while small businesses such as marketplaces, office facilities, and restaurants accounted for 62.4%.

Disposable items that are thrown away as household waste consists of waste paper like paper cups and advertisements, making up 49%, while synthetic waste resin such as plates and containers make up 41%. Waste wood, such as chopsticks and toothpicks, accounts for 8.5%, and waste metal, like plates and containers, makes up 1.5%.

Regarding industrial waste, the amount generated per economy size (measured by GDP) increased by 9.1% to 0.24 tons/billion KRW compared to the 5th survey. However, the waste volume in relation to business sales decreased overall compared to the previous survey.

The circular utilization rate measures how much industrial waste is actually being recycled. In the case of construction waste, the rate is 98.8%, while for waste from disposal facilities, it is 85.7%. For designated waste, the rate is 63.3%, and for waste other than that generated from disposal facilities, it is 61.4%.

A recent survey of public and private waste treatment facilities across the country revealed that a total of 194.16 million tons of waste is treated yearly as of 2020. Recycling accounts for the majority at 89.1%, followed by incineration at 4.6%, interim disposal (excluding incineration) at 1.9%, and landfill at 4.3%.

To learn more about the 6th National Waste Statistical Survey, please visit the Ministry of Environment's environmental statistics portal (stat.me.go.kr) or the Korea Environment Corporation's resource recycling information system (recycling-info.or.kr).

The Director-General of the Resources Circulation Bureau of the Ministry of Environment, Kim Seung-hee, said, "Based on the survey result on waste generation and treatment, the Ministry of Environment will enhance waste reduction policies and promote circular utilization."

The Ministry of Environment focuses on improving guidelines related to waste management, including setting up base collection facilities and simplifying the process of separating waste to help increase the availability of recyclable resources and food waste. Additionally, the Ministry will assist in creating customized recycling yards for different types of houses, such as individual houses, multi-unit houses, and detached stores. Based on the survey results, the Ministry intends to enhance recycling efforts by reducing the weight of disposable products and establishing standards for production materials and colors. The Ministry will also continue encouraging changes in customer service methods and public awareness.

Additionally, measures will be taken to improve the separation and sorting of industrial waste, especially waste generated from non-disposal facilities with low recycling rates, and to support the development of technologies for recycling designated waste.

Contact: Park Jung-hyun, Deputy Director

Resource Circulation Policy Divison / +82-(0)44-201-7345

Foreign Media Contact: Chun Minjo(Rachel)

+82-(0)44-201-6055 / rachelmchun@korea.kr