Yeongdeungpo District Doubles Private Incineration Capacity to Prevent "Waste Crisis"

Direct Landfill Ban on Pay-As-You-Throw Waste in the Seoul Metropolitan Area Begins This Year
Full Commitment to Stable Municipal Waste Management

Yeongdeungpo District in Seoul (District Mayor Cho Hogwon) has significantly expanded the volume of private incineration for pay-as-you-throw waste and established a stable management system for municipal waste disposal in preparation for the metropolitan area’s ban on direct landfill of municipal solid waste, which comes into effect this year.

Ho Kwon Choi, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District Office. Provided by Yeongdeungpo District Office.

The metropolitan area’s direct landfill ban on municipal solid waste is a policy announced to take effect this year following the 2021 amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Waste Control Act. Under this policy, pay-as-you-throw waste must, in principle, be incinerated before final disposal.

The district has greatly increased the amount of waste processed at private incineration facilities from 4,256 tons per year to 8,000 tons per year. This expansion has established the foundation for seamless incineration of pay-as-you-throw waste. The district will also maximize the use of the Yangcheon Resource Recovery Facility’s intake capacity.

In addition to this short-term response focused on private incineration, the district is simultaneously pursuing waste reduction and expanded recycling. Efforts include encouraging self-management at businesses and large-scale waste-generating facilities, strengthening waste discharge management, and expanding resource circulation systems such as recycling of coffee grounds, fabric scraps, and waste vinyl to reduce overall waste generation.

In particular, the district is actively advancing the modernization of its Resource Circulation Center to enhance its recycling waste processing capacity. By expanding the area of the recycling sorting facility and introducing automated equipment, the district will more than double its processing capacity from the second half of this year.

Last year, the district replaced nine “Clean Houses”-waste disposal facilities located in residential areas-to improve the environment for separating household waste and recyclables.

District Mayor Cho Hogwon stated, “Waste management policy requires thorough preparation from a long-term perspective,” and added, “We will establish a comprehensive administrative response system to ensure that residents experience no inconvenience amid these policy changes.”