From next year, measures will be implemented so that household waste cannot be disposed of directly in the metropolitan area, while the Ministry of Environment, the supervising department, is still struggling to formulate countermeasures.
If this system is implemented, all waste excluding recyclable waste must be incinerated for disposal. However, due to a lack of incineration facilities, there is a high possibility of a waste crisis.
The Ministry of Environment is examining various measures, including the use of private incineration facilities, while also considering the option of postponing the implementation of the ban on direct landfill.
Waste experts noted, "The issue is that over the past four years, the Ministry of Environment and local governments have only presented incineration facilities, which are difficult to establish, as a solution," adding that "under the current circumstances, even if the ban is postponed once, it will not be feasible to continue implementing the ban on direct landfill of waste."
◇ Using public waste incineration facilities to the maximum is insufficient
According to the Ministry of Environment on the 19th, the ban on direct landfill of household waste means that waste will not be buried in the ground immediately but will be incinerated first, with only the incineration residue being landfilled. The Ministry of Environment amended the waste management law enforcement rules in July 2021 to prohibit direct landfilling in the metropolitan area starting in 2026, and in other regions starting in 2030.
The problem is that there is an immediate shortage of waste incineration facilities in the metropolitan area. According to the Ministry of Environment, as of 2023, the daily household waste generated in the metropolitan area is 36,406 tons, of which 24,689 tons are recycled. The rest includes 3,213 tons landfilled, 6,891 tons processed at public incineration facilities, and 1,613 tons processed at private incineration facilities.
According to the Ministry of Environment, public incineration facilities in the metropolitan area are operating at maximum capacity. As the ban on direct landfill is implemented from next year, reliance on private incineration facilities will be necessary, though it is uncertain whether they can manage all the landfill waste in the metropolitan area.
Even if all private incineration facilities across the country are used, the available capacity is only 2,802 tons per day. This is insufficient to incinerate the current landfill waste (3,213 tons). Each local government is expected to significantly increase recycling from landfill waste to reduce incineration volume.
A Ministry of Environment official remarked, "Currently, while private incineration facilities claim they can handle the waste volume, it is quantitatively insufficient," adding, "We are verifying recycling rates by reviewing the volume-based waste disposal system at each local government to ascertain the implementation of the direct landfill ban policy."
◇ Difficulty addressing rising expenses due to reliance on private incineration facilities
Even if waste can be processed using private incineration facilities across the country, there is another issue. According to the Ministry of Environment, the landfill expense is about 150,000 won per ton. In the case of public incineration, local governments only need to bear the operating costs. However, when using private incineration, the bidding price alone reaches 180,000 won, with additional transportation costs ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 won.
A waste management official in Gyeonggi Province expressed concern, stating, "We are covering the waste processing budget with local funds, and if the processing expenses surge due to reliance on private incineration facilities, it could place a significant burden on local government finances."
Relying excessively on private incineration facilities also poses a problem in responding when operational issues arise. A local government official emphasized, "While we can utilize private incineration facilities, excessive dependence is risky," adding, "If a private incineration facility goes bankrupt or declares a cancellation of contracts, it could lead to a waste crisis, so the public sector should ideally find solutions."
◇ Experts say alternatives are needed in addition to new incineration facilities
Despite the current situation, expanding incineration facilities is not easy. In 2021, Seoul was conducting feasibility studies for building incineration facilities, Incheon announced plans for two new waste treatment facilities and the renovation of two others, and Gyeonggi Province announced the construction and renovation of nine incineration facilities and twelve sorting facilities.
However, the establishment of new incineration facilities in the metropolitan area remains a distant goal. According to the Ministry of Environment, the incineration facility project in the Mapo district of Seoul is temporarily halted due to an administrative lawsuit filed by resident groups, and in Incheon, only one incineration facility in Songdo is undergoing modernization. In Gyeonggi Province, ten projects are currently in progress, but fifteen projects have yet to even select a site.
The Ministry of Environment stated that it has made efforts to improve the system and continuously expand the budget to enhance community acceptance, but difficulties remain. It also believes that local governments need to take the lead in the construction of new incineration facilities.
A representative of the Ministry of Environment stated, "Public incineration facilities are the responsibility of local government heads," noting that "the Ministry is expanding national subsidy budgets and encouraging local governments to install public incineration facilities, but rapid capacity acquisition has not been achieved." He added, "The establishment of sufficient public incineration facilities to implement the ban on direct landfill is expected to be possible only around 2028 to 2029."
There are criticisms that the government and local authorities have painted an overly rosy future. The establishment of incineration facilities faces significant opposition from residents, making it challenging to choose locations; it is common for procedures to take around 8 to 10 years. This is why it has been evaluated that establishing new waste incineration facilities in five years has proven difficult.
Hong Su-yeol, director of the Resource Circulation Society and Economy Research Institute, stated, "Even if there is a two-year grace period, the situation is unlikely to change significantly," emphasizing the need for alternatives that can replace incineration facilities. He suggested, "Instead of trying to landfill or incinerate waste bagged under the volume-based system, it is better to build more sorting facilities to reduce the volume of waste to be incinerated."
Jang Yong-cheol, a professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering at Chungnam National University, stated, "Rather than trying to find a single solution, comprehensive measures are needed," emphasizing that "first, the volume of waste must be reduced, and sorting facilities must be built to decrease the amounts of incineration and landfilling, while also steadily increasing incineration facilities to enforce the ban on direct landfill."