Public Invitation for Landfill Site Begins on the 13th... Already the Fourth Attempt
More Benefits and Relaxed Requirements, Yet No Interest
Local Government Heads Reluctant Ahead of Presidential and Local Elections
Private Participation Unlikely Due to '80% Consent' Requirement
The fourth attempt to find a new site for the Metropolitan Landfill Site is expected to face difficulties. Although the government has relaxed requirements and offered additional incentives in its search for an alternative site, which has been stalled for five years, interest from local governments has further declined ahead of next year's local elections.
According to local governments and related sources on May 15, there has been no interest shown in the "Fourth Public Invitation for Alternative Metropolitan Landfill Sites," which began on May 13. Although there were administrative inquiries before the official announcement, a local government official stated that there have been no formal or even casual inquiries since the process officially started.
The process of finding an alternative site must be expedited as much as possible. The city of Incheon maintains its position that the Metropolitan Landfill Site, currently located in Seo-gu, Incheon, should only be used until 2025, which is the projected saturation point according to the original design. Because the landfill's closure date has been repeatedly extended, dissatisfaction among Incheon and its residents, who are directly affected by waste intake, has reached its peak.
This is why the government has made significant changes to the conditions for this public invitation. The special support fund, an incentive for local governments that host the landfill, has been set at a minimum of 300 billion won, with additional funds available depending on the type and scale of ancillary facilities installed. This is equivalent to the level of incentives received by Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, when it hosted a radioactive waste disposal facility. In addition, the installation of resident convenience facilities worth about 130 billion won and the creation of an annual resident support fund of 10 billion won are also possible.
The "minimum site area" required for application has been reduced to 500,000 square meters, nearly half of the 900,000 square meters required in the third round. This change reflects the waste reduction targets for each city and province, based on the assumption that the new landfill will be used for 30 years.
However, except for Incheon, local governments in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province do not feel any urgency. Above all, with next year's local elections approaching, local government heads are generally taking a cautious stance. With both the presidential and local elections scheduled for next month, it would be burdensome for them to bring a landfill site into their constituencies. Another local government official confessed, "Even before the public invitation began, some residents expressed various concerns about hosting the landfill. After the presidential election, the atmosphere will shift toward the local elections, so it is difficult for us to show interest at this time."
Another factor reducing local governments' interest is the steady decline in the amount of waste brought to the Metropolitan Landfill Site. The annual volume of waste received at the site has decreased from 9,178,000 tons in 1995 to 1,071,548 tons last year. This is due to the sequential implementation of the volume-based waste fee system in 1995, the direct landfilling ban on food waste in 2005, and the direct landfilling ban on large construction waste in 2022.
Some expect the possibility of private sector participation, but this also appears unlikely. The government has allowed individuals, corporations, organizations, and village communities to participate in this public invitation, but private applicants must submit consent to sell from more than 80% of all landowners for the entire site.
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