Incheon New Waste Landfill Site Confirmed at Yeongheungdo... Promise to Build 'Second Bridge'

Ecoland to be Completed in June 2025... Only Handles Incheon Waste
Early Closure of Thermal Power Plant and Support Including Development Fund

Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun is announcing the plan to create the eco-friendly landfill site 'Incheon Eco Land' on the 4th.
[Photo by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City has finalized Yeongheungdo in Ongjin-gun as the final candidate site for a new waste landfill facility being promoted in preparation for the closure of the Sudokwon Landfill Site (Seo-gu, Incheon) in 2025. Considering residents' opposition, the city has decided to construct the 'Second Yeongheung Bridge.'

On the 4th, Park Namchun, Mayor of Incheon, announced the plan to create an eco-friendly self-managed landfill site called 'Incheon Eco Land' and emphasized, "We will transform Yeongheungdo into an eco-friendly special island."

The city plans to invest about 120 billion KRW to build a 240,000㎡ Eco Land at 248-1 Oeri, Yeongheung-myeon, Ongjin-gun, aiming for completion in June 2025.

Unlike the current direct landfill method that buries household waste directly into the ground, Eco Land will bury only incineration ash from household waste processed at the resource circulation center (incinerator) and non-combustible waste at a depth of 30 to 40 meters underground. The average daily landfill volume is 161㎥, and fully sealed vehicles will transport incineration ash only on weekdays. Incheon City estimates that Eco Land can be used for 40 years after completion, considering the landfill volume.

The city stated that Eco Land will be created by combining only the advantages of advanced domestic facilities such as those in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheongju, Chungbuk. The upper part of Eco Land will have a sealed air dome installed to prevent pollutants and environmental damage to surrounding areas, and the area around the landfill will be developed as a citizen rest space.

Additionally, the city promised to build the Second Yeongheung Bridge in consideration of the public opinion of Yeongheungdo residents opposing the landfill site construction.

The Second Yeongheung Bridge, connecting Gubongdo on Daebudo, Ansan, to Simripo on Yeongheungdo, is a two-lane bridge approximately 6 km long. Once the bridge opens, travel time by car from inland Incheon to Yeongheungdo will be reduced from one hour to 30 minutes. The project cost is 240 billion KRW, and the city plans to allocate related service fees in this year's supplementary budget to accelerate the project.

Furthermore, a 'Yeongheungdo Development Plan Establishment Service' will be conducted in the second half of this year to make Yeongheungdo a metropolitan area tourism landmark.

In addition, to prevent coal dust damage from Yeongheung Thermal Power Plant, the city will install dome facilities at the storage yard, promote LNG fuel conversion, and expedite the closure of the thermal power plant. The city will support Yeongheung with an annual development fund of 5 billion KRW and additionally create resident convenience facilities such as neighborhood parks and sports facilities.

Incheon City announced Yeongheungdo as a new candidate site for waste landfill last November. However, the city faced opposition because it selected the candidate site based on research results without prior consultation with Ongjin-gun or Yeongheungdo residents.

In response, the Incheon branch of the Democratic Party, which intervened as a mediator, activated the Landfill Special Committee and recommended that Seongapdo, also in Ongjin-gun, be considered as a landfill site along with Yeongheungdo.

However, after reviewing the site, the city judged Yeongheungdo to be more suitable as a candidate site than Seongapdo. Seongapdo was evaluated negatively because it is an area with high environmental preservation value, making it very difficult to proceed with various legal procedures such as environmental impact assessments, and the landfill operation and construction costs due to marine transportation are enormous.

Mayor Park said, "We conducted an objective and scientific service to select the Eco Land site, and after re-examining including Seongapdo suggested by the Democratic Party Special Committee, we finalized Yeongheungdo as the candidate site. We will make Eco Land an opportunity for Yeongheungdo's leap forward and turn it into an eco-friendly special island."

The Eco Land project, which processes only Incheon’s waste, is being promoted in preparation for the closure of the Sudokwon Landfill Site in 2025.

Incheon City declared the closure of the Sudokwon Landfill Site in 2025, citing severe environmental damage to Seo-gu residents near the landfill, based on the 2015 agreement of the four-party consultative body for the landfill site.

The four-party consultative body agreed to extend the use period of the Sudokwon Landfill Site, originally set to end in late 2016, until the closure of Section 3-1 (1.03 million ㎡) landfill (around 2025), in exchange for transferring land ownership of the Sudokwon Landfill Site to Incheon City.

However, the annex clause of the agreement states that if an alternative landfill site is not secured by the landfill closure time, an additional 15% of the remaining site (Section 3-2, 1.06 million ㎡) can be used, which Seoul and Gyeonggi Province are using as grounds to claim extended use, causing conflict. Currently, the Ministry of Environment, Seoul, and Gyeonggi Province are conducting a public contest to find an alternative landfill site by the 14th of next month.