Nearby Residents to Urge City and District for Countermeasures on August 13
Nam District is currently discussing the suspension of operations at the solid refuse fuel (SRF) facility located within the Yanggwa-dong regional sanitary landfill in Nam District, Gwangju, after complex odors exceeding legal standards were detected, in an effort to address the resulting impact on local residents.
According to Nam District officials on August 12, the district plans to propose to the relevant SRF department of Gwangju City this afternoon a halt to operations until odor reduction equipment is installed.
This measure follows the recommendation for improvement made to the SRF management company on June 19, and the subsequent pollution test conducted on August 7, which again detected complex odors exceeding the legal threshold and resulted in a non-compliance determination.
The district plans to restrict operations until odor mitigation facilities, such as air curtains to prevent complex odors from escaping the SRF, are installed, aiming to minimize harm to residents.
With operations halted, the district is also considering temporarily landfilling waste that cannot be transported out, then processing it into fuel and removing it once operations resume. Additionally, in response to residents' requests during a site visit the previous day, Nam District has asked Gwangju City to conduct a component analysis of the complex odors to confirm their lack of harm to human health.
However, since the SRF facility is operated under commission from Gwangju City, and the city is also the management authority, the district noted that it remains uncertain whether these measures will be implemented. The district will conduct regular inspections to verify whether the company is actually carrying out planned odor reduction measures, including strengthening management of emission facilities, installing air curtains, and conducting regular maintenance, and will issue corrective orders if these actions are not fulfilled.
Kim Byungnae, head of Nam District, stated, "It is expected to take about one month to install the odor reduction equipment," adding, "We are pursuing a plan to completely block odors at the source by suspending facility operations during this period."
He continued, "We will mobilize all administrative resources to protect residents' living environment and health," and emphasized, "The company must work with Gwangju City to develop fundamental countermeasures."
Meanwhile, in an odor pollution test conducted by the Institute of Health and Environment on June 12-13 at the request of Gwangju City, a dilution factor of 669 was measured at the emission outlet. The same result was recorded in the test conducted on August 7, again exceeding the legal limit of 500 and resulting in a non-compliance ruling.
Separately, residents of nearby villages affected by the odor plan to hold a related meeting on August 13 to urge Gwangju City and Nam District to come up with countermeasures.
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