South Korea Charges Households For Excess Food Waste. Could A Similar Program Curb Food Tossing In Toronto?
According to the Toronto Star, the average Toronto household wastes more than 100 kilograms of edible food each year. That amounts to more than $1,000 in avoidable food waste costs tossed down the organics bin annually.
Canada is one of the worst culprits in terms of food wastage. According to a 2021 UN report, Canadians throw away more food than the average person from the U.S., U.K. or Japan.
South Korea once faced similar challenges. But in 2013, the country introduced a “pay-as-you-throw” food waste program. Residents are charged based on how much organic matter they throw away.
For some, particularly those in apartment complexes, all they have to do is tap an ID card and place their scraps into an automated organics receptacle that weighs the waste. At the end of the month, they are charged for the amount of organics — edible and unedible — they threw out. The average household pays about $8 a month.
