"Leachate Treatment, Incinerator Installation, and Support Projects Will Proceed According to Legal Procedures"
Regarding the claims by residents living near the landfill in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do about illegal waste being brought in and buried, the city of Jinju stated on the 16th that only waste permitted under the city’s Waste Management Ordinance and its enforcement rules is accepted, and that vehicles without collection and transportation permits are strictly controlled from entering the site.
On the morning of the 15th, about 80 residents living near the landfill held a rally at Jinju City Hall, protesting illegal waste burial, demanding a ban on illegal waste intake and landfill, transparent disclosure of the leachate treatment process, and expressing absolute opposition to the construction of an incineration plant.
The Jinju landfill, located at 63 Yusugil 75beon-gil, Naedong-myeon, Jinju, provides support within a 2km radius from the landfill boundary in accordance with the Act on the Promotion of Installation of Waste Treatment Facilities and Support for Surrounding Areas. Resident support councils have been formed for three villages in Naedong-myeon and four villages in Chukdong-myeon, Gonyang-myeon, and Gonmyeong-myeon in Sacheon.
The rally participants were mainly residents from the Sacheon area (Chukdong-myeon, Gonyang-myeon, Gonmyeong-myeon, Seopo-myeon). Before the rally at Jinju City Hall, from 4:30 a.m. on the same day, they conducted on-site checks of vehicles entering the landfill to verify whether any illegal waste was being brought in by vehicles collecting waste in standard garbage bags, but found no vehicles carrying illegal waste.
The city stated that the claims regarding illegal waste intake and landfill were unilateral assertions by some residents. The city emphasized that, according to its ordinances and enforcement rules, only permitted waste is accepted, and entry of vehicles without collection and transportation permits is strictly controlled. The city also explained that, when waste is unloaded from incoming vehicles, the presence of illegal waste is checked again through CCTV and visual sample inspections before landfill operations begin.
Regarding the leachate treatment process, the city stated that, in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, annual post-environmental impact surveys are conducted on leachate, surface water, groundwater, and air quality, and the results are reported to and disclosed to the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office and Gyeongsangnam-do.
On the absolute opposition to the construction of an incineration plant, the city stressed that, due to the revision of the Enforcement Rules of the Waste Management Act, direct landfilling of household waste will be banned nationwide from 2030, and thus all local governments must install such facilities by the deadline. The city explained that from March last year to March this year, it conducted a feasibility study and established a master plan for the incineration facility, selecting the Naedong-myeon landfill as the primary candidate site.
However, the final site selection is to be determined by the Site Selection Committee in accordance with Article 9 of the Act on the Promotion of Installation of Waste Treatment Facilities and Support for Surrounding Areas. Currently, the committee has not been formed due to a lack of recommendations for some resident representatives. The city plans to form the committee in the future, and once the site is decided, a resident support council for the incineration facility will be established to discuss support projects for residents.
A city official said, "We will continue to thoroughly monitor to prevent illegal waste from being brought into the landfill, and strengthen guidance and enforcement for environmental companies regarding waste bag collection," adding, "We will ensure that the leachate treatment process and incineration plant construction proceed according to legal procedures so that waste-related policies are implemented without any setbacks."
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