Waste styrofoam has long been one of the most difficult materials to dispose of — bulky yet lightweight, it fills collection vehicles quickly while yielding little usable space and requires large storage areas before processing.
Collection, transport and sorting all demand significant time and cost, and the administrative burden of managing styrofoam waste has been a persistent challenge for local governments.
To address these problems, public and private actors in Sabuk-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon Province have introduced a styrofoam cutter that reduces the material into a form more suitable for recycling.
By sharply reducing the volume of waste styrofoam, the equipment is expected to lower costs across collection, transport and sorting while boosting recycling rates.
The cutter is also expected to shorten overall waste processing times and reduce the number of collection runs, contributing to lower carbon emissions and energy savings.
Sabuk-eup procured the equipment through the Public Procurement Service's "2026 Second Round of Innovative Product Pilot Purchase Project."
Selected as a pilot institution under the Public Procurement Service's innovative product program, Sabuk-eup acquired the equipment without drawing on separate local government funds, delivering an additional budget-saving benefit. The unit has been installed at the snow-removal storage facility site at 332 Sabuk-ri.
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