Incheon City Begins Gathering Opinions on Metropolitan Incineration Plant Candidate Sites... What Are the Positions of Local Governments?

Request for military and district submissions by January next year
Three candidate sites announced... Four new incinerators to be expanded by region
Namdong-gu, Michuhol-gu, Yeonsu-gu protest "Social consensus needed"

Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun is announcing plans to promote the waste landfill site 'Ecoland' and the metropolitan incineration plant (Resource Circulation Center). 2020.11.12
[Photo by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City has begun a public consultation process regarding candidate sites for the metropolitan incinerator (Resource Circulation Center) it is promoting in preparation for the ban on direct landfill of municipal waste in 2026. However, some local governments are opposing the plan, saying it should not be located in their areas, indicating considerable difficulties ahead.

On the 30th, the city announced that it plans to send official letters to all 10 districts and counties in Incheon, requesting them to thoroughly discuss the suitability of the metropolitan incinerator candidate sites with local residents and submit the results along with the positions of the districts and counties by January next year.

Earlier, on the 12th of last month, the city announced plans to establish three new incinerators in the western region (Jung-gu, Michuhol-gu), central region (Dong-gu, Namdong-gu), and Ganghwa County, along with the candidate sites for these facilities.

The city intends to collect opinions from local residents and district/county officials on whether these candidate sites are appropriate, and if not, whether there are alternative recommended sites. After reviewing feasibility and implementation possibilities, the city will decide whether to reflect these in the plan.

The city has decided to provide incentives such as regional development funds and resident priority project funds to the districts where the incinerators will be located. Additionally, the design standards will be strengthened beyond legal requirements to minimize legally regulated harmful substances within normal levels, and odors and chimney smoke will be perfectly controlled to build comfortable facilities. To this end, the city will soon form a site selection committee and begin a 'feasibility study of candidate sites.'

Incheon plans to build a total of four new incinerators, including one jointly used by Bupyeong and Gyeyang districts, where candidate sites have not yet been determined. It also plans to modernize two of the three existing metropolitan incinerators in Songdo and Cheongna by reducing their scale. As a result, a total of seven metropolitan incinerators will operate in Incheon.

However, because waste incineration facilities are perceived as nuisance facilities, there is opposition not only from residents in the areas where new facilities are to be built but also from local government heads who are cautious about public sentiment.

Three districts?Namdong-gu, Michuhol-gu, and Yeonsu-gu?have jointly opposed Incheon City's incinerator construction plan. On the 26th of last month, these three districts issued a statement saying, "By utilizing the two existing incinerators in Yeonsu-gu, waste from surrounding areas can be processed without additional construction," and urged the city to "completely withdraw the plans to build incinerators in Namdong-gu and Jung-gu."

These local governments expressed agreement with Incheon City's policy to prepare for the closure of the metropolitan landfill site in 2025 but emphasized that "there must be a public discussion process and social consensus to ensure that the construction of incinerators does not infringe on citizens' living areas."

Incheon City plans to create its own landfill site, 'Incheon Eco Land,' in preparation for the closure of the current metropolitan landfill site in Seo-gu in 2025. The city views the expansion of metropolitan incinerators as inevitable to operate Eco Land, which will only landfill non-combustible waste and incineration ash from municipal waste.

The Ministry of Environment has also set a policy to ban direct landfill of combustible municipal waste starting from 2026 in the metropolitan area and to landfill only incineration ash and similar materials.

Oh Heung-seok, Incheon City's Transportation and Environment Coordinator, stated, "Since the construction of metropolitan incinerators is not optional but essential, we hope that the districts and counties will face this realistic issue squarely and actively participate in the major shift in resource circulation policy by conducting public discussions with residents."