The competition among small and medium-sized enterprises surrounding the food waste disposer that processes food waste indoors is intense. The relevant industry estimates that the current penetration rate of food waste disposers in households is around 5-6%, but as its convenience spreads by word of mouth, there are predictions that the market size will reach 1 trillion won next year. Some local governments are providing purchase subsidies, prompting manufacturers to continuously release new products.
According to the industry on the 18th, the domestic food waste disposer market size grew by 78%, from 185 billion won in 2023 to 330 billion won last year. At Home, which sells the food waste disposer 'Minix,' recently noted at a press conference that the domestic food waste disposer market size is expected to reach 580 billion won this year and nearly 940 billion won next year. According to a previous report by Open Survey’s '2022 Home Appliance Trend Report,’ 49.3% of consumers aged 20 to 59 selected food waste disposers as the home appliance they wished to purchase within a year.
The demand for food waste disposers is surging due to the increase of single-person households and dual-income families with insufficient time for housework. Food waste disposers are largely classified into three types: drying and grinding type, microbial decomposition type, and wet grinding type. The microbial decomposition type had the highest market share of 51% as of 2023, followed by the drying and grinding type at 38%. The microbial decomposition type emphasizes eco-friendliness and convenience, while the drying and grinding type highlights its odor reduction effect.
The microbial decomposition type involves putting food waste and microbial agents into a dedicated processor, which transforms the food waste into water, carbon dioxide, and minerals. The finished byproducts can be disposed of as regular waste or used as compost. However, there is a drawback of odor during the transformation process.
The drying and grinding type dries the food waste at high temperatures to evaporate moisture and grind it into small pieces. While it does not emit odors like the microbial decomposition type if the filter is replaced regularly, it is noted to have noise issues, relatively high power consumption, and often lacks the ability to add food waste during operation. Additionally, byproducts must be disposed of as food waste.
Recently, products that complement each of these shortcomings have been emerging. Minix’s food waste disposer 'The Plender' allows for additional food waste to be added during operation, despite being a drying and grinding type. Smartcara, regarded as the pioneer of drying and grinding type food waste disposers, emphasized that its newly released 'Smartcara 400SE' reduces volume by up to 94%. Cuckoo, which had previously only presented drying and grinding types, launched a new microbial decomposition type product last February, incorporating a deodorization system to eliminate the odors that had been a drawback. Products equipped with smart features such as smartphone app integration and remote control functionality are also being released.
As the competition in the food waste disposer market intensifies, Cuchen also entered the market with a new drying and grinding type food waste disposer called 'Zero Bean.' The company explains that its developed four blades effectively chop food waste into small pieces to reduce its volume.
Some local governments offer subsidies for purchasing food waste disposers, citing their role in reducing environmental pollution. In certain areas of Seoul and in Gyeongsang-do and Gangwon-do, subsidies of around 200,000 to 400,000 won are provided for products that have received quality and safety certifications.
However, there are also discussions emphasizing the need to carefully compare operating time, deodorization performance, and filter replacement expenses before making a purchase. The Korea Consumer Agency found that in January, all nine drying and grinding type products among food waste disposers analyzed met safety standards, and their noise levels were assessed to be between 23 and 42 decibels (dB), which is considered quiet. However, there were differences in annual energy costs and deodorizing filter replacement costs among the products. Products identified as having low annual maintenance costs include Shinil, Smartcara, and Hurom, while Cuckoo was noted for having a short processing time.
Currently, the food waste disposer market is led by small and medium-sized enterprises. While Smartcara and Minix are leading the industry, latecomers such as Cuckoo and Cuchen are in competition. The large corporation LG Electronics is conducting a pilot project for food waste disposers in partnership with some local governments, but there are no specific commercialization plans yet. Samsung Electronics also has no commercialization plans.
As the market grows under the leadership of small and medium-sized enterprises, there are concerns about discovering quality defects after purchase or inadequate after-service (AS). From 2021 to June 2024, there were 750 applications for damage relief related to food waste disposers received by the Korea Consumer Agency, revealing that complaints about AS accounted for 50.4% (378 cases) and quality issues for 25.1% (188 cases). It remains to be seen which companies will survive in this golden age of food waste disposers and whether the market will grow as expected by the industry.