Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on 22 Unauthorized Companies Disrupting Household Waste Disposal System

Gyeonggi Province has uncovered a large number of companies violating the Waste Management Act by processing household waste without permission or collecting waste electronics and waste clothing without reporting waste disposal.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police announced on the 23rd that from March 18 to 29, they conducted inspections on 90 businesses including household waste separation and collection agencies, moving companies, and estate clearing companies, uncovering 22 violations.

Among the major cases, companies A and B located in Seoul were caught operating a business where they collected various mixed wastes from homes and offices for a fee without permission. These companies transported household waste collected in Seoul to warehouses in Guri and Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, where they separated, sorted, washed, or stored the waste, operating an unauthorized waste disposal business, and investigations are ongoing.

Company C in Gimpo City, engaged in retail and wholesale of used electronics, was caught during this crackdown for bringing in waste electronics such as TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators, and computers without obtaining waste disposal business permission from the relevant authorities, and sorting valuable components like circuit boards within their premises.

Illegal Cases Related to Collection, Transportation, and Disposal of Household Waste Detected by Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police Unit

Company D in Icheon City was found to have collected, transported, and stored large waste electronics generated during moving without reporting waste disposal to the relevant authorities while conducting this business.

Company E in Guri City, operating a storage moving warehouse business, was caught storing approximately 134 tons of waste generated in violation of storage standards by piling it outdoors in an unauthorized storage facility.

The current Waste Management Act requires that household waste generated within a jurisdiction be processed by the local government or by a licensed waste disposal company. However, recently, so-called "separation collection agencies" and small-scale cleaning agencies using cargo vehicles have been operating without permission, destabilizing the household waste collection system.

Hong Eun-gi, head of the Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police, stated, "Due to the proliferation of unauthorized companies and the increase in illegal disposal activities, the household waste disposal system could be destabilized. We plan to continuously conduct follow-up management in cooperation with related organizations and local governments to prevent repeated violations by the businesses caught."