Withdrawal of 'Hyeondeok-myeon' Candidate Site Selection After About 20 Days
Public Contest Conducted for Entire Pyeongtaek Area
Earlier this month, Pyeongtaek City in Gyeonggi Province, which had announced new candidate sites for waste incineration and landfill facilities, has withdrawn the announcement and decided to select candidate sites through a public contest.
On the 28th, Pyeongtaek City announced that it plans to decide the location candidates for the currently underway 'Environmental Complex Facility Installation Project' through a public contest.
Pyeongtaek Eco Center exterior. Pyeongtaek City initially selected the area around Hyeondeok-myeon as the first candidate site for a new environmental complex facility but has withdrawn that decision and decided to select the candidate site through a "public contest" method. [Photo by Pyeongtaek City]
The environmental complex facility promoted by the city is a facility for incineration and landfill of waste such as garbage. Previously, on the 4th, the city announced through a press briefing that it had selected an 800,000㎡ area in Daean and Gisan-ri, Hyeondeok-myeon, as the first candidate site for the new environmental complex facility. The city revealed plans to build an environmental complex facility with a processing capacity of 1,025 tons, including a 550-ton per day waste incineration facility and a 475-ton waste landfill.
However, following the announcement of the candidate site, opposition from local residents and serious conflicts ensued, leading to the decision to switch the site selection method to a 'public contest' after 23 days.
Regarding the switch to the public contest method, the city explained that the entire Pyeongtaek area, including Hyeondeok-myeon, is subject to the contest. To this end, the city plans to finalize the project site through processes such as deciding and announcing the site selection plan, holding regional briefing sessions → establishing a site selection committee → conducting feasibility studies on candidate sites → and performing strategic environmental impact assessments.
The city plans to provide various incentives to the area where the environmental complex facility will be located. First, up to 20% of the waste import fees will be allocated to a resident support fund. This fund will be used to increase income, improve welfare, and support educational projects (such as installing city gas and solar power) for nearby residents. Additionally, the city is considering raising a regional development fund from project participants to promote local long-standing projects.
Jung Jang-seon, Mayor of Pyeongtaek City, stated, "We will minimize resident conflicts arising from the installation of new incineration and landfill facilities through the public contest method," adding, "We will strive to build an eco-friendly environmental complex facility that fundamentally blocks environmental pollution to ensure that nearby residents do not suffer any harm."
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