Supporting Environmental Management for Small Businesses in Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeju
20 Experts and Citizens Form Team to Strengthen Self-Management Capabilities
Focus on Small-Scale Businesses with Violation Rates Exceeding 40%
The Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office has decided to collaborate with the private sector to enhance the environmental management capabilities of small and medium-sized businesses in the region.
The Ministry of Environment's Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office announced on April 30 that it has newly appointed 20 members to a private environmental monitoring team to support businesses in Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeju that are vulnerable in terms of environmental management. The appointed monitoring team consists of experts in fields such as water quality, air, and waste, as well as environmental group activists.
Together with the monitoring team, the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office plans to visit small-scale businesses directly to provide consulting on facility and operational management, while also offering education on relevant laws and technical support. Through these efforts, the aim is to strengthen the self-management capabilities of small businesses, which have a high rate of environmental law violations.
In fact, according to last year's inspection results by the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office's monitoring team, the violation rate of environmental laws for businesses classified as type 4 and 5 based on wastewater and air emission facilities reached 40.9%, which is higher than the 35.6% violation rate for type 1 to 3 businesses.
Kim Youngwoo, head of the office, said, "It is time to shift from a regulation system focused on detection and punishment to one centered on prevention," adding, "Through public-private cooperation, we will jointly address local environmental issues and encourage businesses to manage their environmental responsibilities autonomously."
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