Hapcheon-gun, "Let's Join Together! Creating a Clean and Pleasant Hapcheon"

Actively Promoting Various Environmental Policies

Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam Province, is actively implementing various environmental policies to protect residents from various environmental hazards caused by fine dust and climate change, and to create a clean and pleasant Hapcheon.

The county is focusing on life-centered environmental management as a scientific carbon neutrality implementation plan, a government national agenda, including ▲transition to a green economy ▲realization of a circular economy through recycling ▲proper management of basic environmental facilities ▲improvement of air and water quality through biodiversity conservation.

As climate change has recently emerged as a serious social issue, Hapcheon-gun has established a basic carbon neutrality plan and is promoting projects such as cool roofs and cooling fog installations to proactively respond to national greenhouse gas reduction targets and carbon neutrality implementation.

Aerial view of Hapcheon-gun landfill site.

The county operates a carbon point system that provides incentives based on energy savings in each household and conducts greenhouse gas diagnostic consulting in the non-industrial sector to promote a culture of reducing greenhouse gases in daily life.

To protect residents from fine dust, the county is implementing a project to reduce emissions from old diesel vehicles, which are a major source of pollution. This year, with a budget of 15.91 million KRW, it supports early scrapping of 687 vehicles, installation of reduction devices on 65 vehicles, engine replacement for 12 old construction machines, and purchase of 15 new LPG cargo trucks.

Additionally, to promote eco-friendly electric vehicles, the county is investing 28.65 million KRW to support 107 electric passenger cars, 75 electric cargo vehicles, and 10 electric two-wheelers.

In April, Hapcheon-gun was selected for the regional zero-emission vehicle conversion brand project hosted by the Korea Environment Corporation and received full support of about 1.6 billion KRW to install 77 electric vehicle charging stations (24 rapid chargers and 53 slow chargers) within the county.

To secure investment funds necessary for environmental improvement projects, the county levied environmental improvement charges twice a year on owners of diesel vehicles, the main culprits of fine dust and soot. Thanks to proactive administration by the environmental department during the collection process, Hapcheon-gun was ranked first nationwide in the Ministry of Environment’s environmental improvement charge collection rate evaluation last year and received an additional grant of 7.7 million KRW.

Hapcheon-gun is the first in the nation to promote the “Beautiful Garbage Disposal Campaign.” To recycle waste discarded in daily life as resources, the county produces related promotional videos and uses leaflets to help residents more easily separate and dispose of household waste.

Moreover, recycling separation helpers and sorting assistants are deployed on-site to provide direct guidance and instructions. To create a pleasant disposal environment, the county carries out specialized disinfection and cleaning services at disposal sites to eliminate leachate odors and prevent pests and diseases.

The county is implementing various resource recycling promotion policies to separate recyclables mixed with household waste, suppress waste generation, and maximize recycling rates.

Additionally, through ▲operation of recycling sorting centers in 17 towns and townships ▲installation of neighborhood recycling yards and waste vinyl collection points ▲payment of incentives for collecting recyclables and waste vinyl, the county encourages residents to refrain from illegal incineration and littering of recyclable resources, raising awareness and convenience for separate disposal.

Starting in the second half of this year, a pilot “At-Home Collection Service for Waste Home Appliances” is being operated. Expanding the existing free home visit collection service for waste home appliances, the county collects waste home appliances (including medium and small sizes) free of charge on designated days for apartment complexes and villages without requiring separate applications.

To properly manage compost piles, identified as a major cause of green algae in summer, the county is strengthening non-point source pollution management around the Nakdong River basin by prohibiting compost piling on national and public lands, installing covers on compost during rain, conducting on-site guidance, and taking administrative actions.

According to the county, combustible waste averages 12 tons per day, and non-combustible waste averages 10 tons per day. However, aging incineration facilities have reduced incineration efficiency, and landfill capacity is nearing saturation. Therefore, to ensure stable treatment of household waste, the county is promoting the construction of an eastern region household waste landfill (located in Dugok-ri, Cheongdeok-myeon) with an area of 24,781㎡ (landfill area 9,631㎡, landfill capacity 76,500㎥) and a new 30-ton-per-day incineration facility in Jeongyang-ri, Daeyang-myeon.

Through these efforts, the county aims to improve residents’ health and hygiene and contribute to enhancing Hapcheon’s clean image by installing eco-friendly treatment facilities that recover energy through waste heat utilization.

To widely promote the value of Jeongyang Wetland and create an eco-friendly ecological space where people live in harmony with nature, the county operates Jeongyang Wetland Ecological Park and Ecological Learning Center, which are open to the public free of charge.

As a pledge project of the 8th local government administration, the county is implementing plans to revitalize Jeongyang Wetland as an eco-tourism site rich in biodiversity, including ▲installation of cooling fog on the Jeongyang Wetland deck path ▲management of reed colonies ▲and a feasibility study for designating Jeongyang Wetland as a protected wetland area.

To professionalize and improve the quality of ecological programs, 12 environmental ecological interpreters were trained through education and evaluation on October 31.

County Governor Kim Yoon-cheol said, “We place the highest value on preserving a beautiful and pleasant environment and will focus our efforts on environmental improvements that residents can feel. We ask for the active interest and participation of residents so that the environmental policies promoted by the county can take root stably.”