Expected Net Profit 40% Allocated to Regional Development Fund and Win-Win Development Fund
Efforts to Revitalize Local Economy Including Priority Hiring of Local Talent for Landfill Creation and Operation
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Ssangyong C&E (formerly Ssangyong Cement) announced that it will return 40% of the profits from the eco-friendly landfill project it is promoting in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do, to the local community. The company plans to prioritize hiring local talent and guarantee the participation of local businesses in the construction, operation, and waste transportation related to the landfill.
Ssangyong C&E is promoting the construction of a business waste landfill at a limestone abandoned mine site at its Yeongwol plant located in Hanbando-myeon, Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do. A public hearing for local residents is scheduled for the 9th, and the company is preparing to submit the main environmental impact assessment report to the Wonju Regional Environmental Office.
The waste landfill project promoted by Ssangyong C&E is a large-scale project with an investment of more than 170 billion KRW. After formal approval, the construction of the landfill, which will be carried out step-by-step over about three years to ensure safety, as well as the operation of the landfill and related transportation, will prioritize hiring local talent and participation of local companies to maximize the revitalization effect on the local economy.
After the landfill is built, about 40% of the net profit will be allocated to a regional development and mutual growth fund to share profits with local residents and promote the development of the Yeongwol area. Various projects will be operated to provide tangible benefits to local residents, including the donation and support for the establishment of a nursing hospital site and support for eco-friendly agricultural product sales projects.
Regarding concerns raised recently by some environmental groups about leachate leakage, the company will completely block environmental impacts on surrounding areas by establishing a perfect four-stage impermeable facility system that exceeds legal standards and introducing a zero-leachate discharge system.
Currently, landfills similar to the limestone area landfill promoted by Ssangyong C&E are operating in Mungyeong City Gongpyeong Landfill, Yeongwol-gun Mungok Landfill, Jeongseon-gun Nam-myeon Landfill, Okcheon-gun Landfill, and Jeju Landfill established in a basalt area.
So far, no sinkholes, leachate leakage, or water pollution have occurred at existing landfills established in limestone and basalt areas. However, Ssangyong C&E plans to prevent environmental impacts in advance by installing a four-stage impermeable facility, the highest level in Korea, including constructing the base with reinforced concrete slabs, purifying generated leachate through advanced treatment processes, and establishing a zero-discharge system that recycles the purified water as factory water at the nearby Yeongwol plant, implementing measures stronger than any other landfill in Korea.
A Ssangyong C&E official said, "We aim to contribute primarily to revitalizing the local economy by returning part of the profits generated from the Yeongwol eco-friendly landfill to the local community and providing priority hiring and participation rights to local talent and companies from the construction to the operation of the landfill." He added, "We will also strive to make the Yeongwol landfill an eco-friendly landfill that revitalizes the local economy by completely blocking environmental impacts through perfect impermeable facilities and the introduction of a zero-leachate discharge system."
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