From 3-Person Waste Collection Teams at Dawn to Chungju's Food Waste Hydrogen Conversion, EBS Airs on the 26th at 9:05 PM

Extreme Jobs: War against waste! From collection to recycling

The waste we carelessly put out every day! The reason streets remain clean despite the endlessly pouring piles of trash is because there are people cleaning up the waste even while everyone else is asleep in the early morning hours. Workers who run around, enduring foul odors and heat to clear away the trash! Once collected, the waste moves to sorting centers, incinerators, or food waste treatment plants depending on the item. There, it passes through human hands once again... People who pick out recyclables from among sharp objects like broken glass and those who revive food waste into hydrogen energy! We meet the people striving to clear away discarded waste and transform it back into usable resources.

* Broadcast Date/Time: September 26, 2026 (Saturday) at 9:05 PM, EBS1

People cleaning up waste in the early morning while everyone sleeps!

In the early morning when everyone is asleep, there are people who are the first to encounter the waste we put out in front of our homes. They are the waste collectors and transporters! All work is carried out in teams of three. One person drives while two people collect... Depending on the type of waste, from bulky waste to general waste, recyclables, and food waste, the teams and methods of collection vary. For the food waste collection team, enduring the pungent smell is a basic requirement. In narrow alleys, they must work while pulling heavy food waste collection bins. It is not easy even on main roads. To avoid obstructing traffic, workers run around without a moment's rest to finish their work quickly. It is incredibly grueling, causing knee pain and shortness of breath. Meanwhile, the bulky waste collection team must fight against weight. In particular, items like massage chairs and pianos are heavy, weighing over 100kg, making them difficult to lift even if all team members join in... Furthermore, they must always be careful because if waste such as toilets or glass bottles breaks during work, fragments can fly everywhere and cause injury. Despite the difficulty and hardship, these people feel a sense of reward seeing the surroundings become clean. We visit the scene where they strive for clean streets.

The great transformation of waste, becoming usable resources and energy!

There is a place where waste, which seemed finished the moment it was discarded, is reborn! As of 2024, the recycling rate for household waste is approximately 60%! Then, where does the collected waste go? The destination is divided by type. Recyclables move to sorting centers! It is said that workers have no time to rest as they must individually sort and recycle plastic, vinyl, and aluminum cans that come in mixed together... Among those classified, plastic is compressed to reduce volume and sold to recycling companies, and styrofoam is also transformed into plastic recycled raw material by applying heat and pressure. Meanwhile, an even more amazing transformation occurs at the food waste treatment plant. A food waste treatment plant in Chungju City. It is said that this place is producing hydrogen energy using food waste for the first time in Korea... They are said to be producing hydrogen by filtering out foreign substances from food and digesting only the pure food waste to produce biogas. The hydrogen produced this way becomes fuel for passenger cars, buses, and more. We meet the people sweating profusely to transform exhausted waste into precious resources and clean energy.

* Related photos are available on the EBS institutional website (about.ebs.co.kr)-Cyber PR Office-Highlights, on the corresponding broadcast date.

◆ At a Glance

· Publishing Institution: EBS

· Category: Extreme Jobs

· Distribution: September 25

Source: EBS Press Release

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