Why Kim Mikyung, Eunpyeong District Mayor, Is Fully Committed to 'Reducing Household Waste'?

‘Direct Landfill Municipal Waste Total Import Quota’ Requires 3,197 Tons Reduction by 2020... If 10% Reduction Not Achieved, Waste Import Suspended for 5 Days in 2021, Raising Concerns of Waste Crisis... Actively Address Waste Issues Through Resource Circulation by Reducing Municipal Waste and Strict Separation

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is putting all its efforts into the urgent task of ‘reducing household waste.’

This is in accordance with the ‘Direct Landfill Household Waste Import Quota System’ to be implemented from January 2020. The district can only send 28,774 tons of waste to the metropolitan landfill site, which is a 10% reduction from the 31,917 tons imported in 2018.

If the 10% reduction target for this year is not met, household waste imports will be suspended for five days in 2021, making a ‘waste crisis’ unavoidable.

The ‘Direct Landfill Household Waste Import Quota System’ is jointly implemented by the three metropolitan cities and provinces (Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do) to ensure stable processing of waste generated in the metropolitan area. The 64 cities, counties, and districts that send waste to the metropolitan landfill site are allowed to import only up to 90% of their 2018 waste import volume.

Accordingly, while each autonomous district in Seoul must reduce an average of 1,225 tons by 2020, Eunpyeong-gu faces the challenge of reducing 3,197 tons, which is 2.6 times that amount, requiring special efforts from both the district and its residents.

This inequality stems from the fact that the four major resource recovery facilities in Seoul (Gangnam, Nowon, Mapo, Yangcheon incinerators) are used by 22 autonomous districts, while Eunpyeong-gu, Guro-gu, and Geumcheon-gu rely on incinerators in other cities and provinces as substitute facilities.

Moreover, since Eunpyeong-gu depends almost entirely on the metropolitan landfill site for household waste disposal, the waste disposal burden fee imposed based on import volume is the second highest in Seoul at 592 million KRW, placing a heavy burden on the district’s finances.

To overcome these difficulties, the district announced that it will focus all administrative power on ▲ establishing a resource circulation system ▲ strengthening public awareness and education ▲ building a cooperative system with household waste collection and transportation contractors ▲ and efforts to jointly use Seoul’s public resource recovery facilities (incinerators).

To reduce household waste, the district will promote the Pay Back project (strengthening separate collection of recyclable resources in volume-based waste bags), ban the use of disposable products in public offices, enhance guidance and inspection of disposable product use restrictions in the private sector, implement a designated day system for plastic waste disposal, and strengthen management of mandatory workplaces for separate disposal of business waste and recyclables.

Additionally, the district is committed to establishing a resource circulation structure through operating recycling stations, supporting installation of separate collection bins in urban-type residential housing, expanding the Recycling Hub MoaMoa project, implementing the Anabada movement, composting street leaf waste, recycling sewing fabric, and operating Nephron (empty can collection devices).

Alongside this, to strengthen public awareness and education, the district plans to continuously promote the Clean Eunpyeong project with residents, enhance residents’ resource circulation awareness using the Eunpyeong Resource Circulation Promotion Team, environmental organizations, and community leaders, and produce and distribute customized resource circulation educational materials for future generations (students).

Furthermore, the district will establish a cooperative system with household waste collection and transportation contractors, improve the collection and transportation system by introducing new dump trucks, increase recycling rates, and continuously propose to Seoul the adjustment of resource recovery facility import volumes by district so that districts with high proportions of household waste disposed of at the metropolitan landfill site can jointly use Seoul’s resource recovery facilities (incinerators).

Mayor Kim Mi-kyung of Eunpyeong-gu said, “The rapidly increasing waste disposal problem is not just our issue. It is no exaggeration to say that the whole world is engaged in a ‘battle against waste.’ Although measures such as controlling the production and use of plastics, developing eco-friendly alternatives through technology, and other countermeasures are being expedited, experts diagnose that it is virtually impossible to prevent a global waste crisis unless the amount of waste generated is reduced.”

She added, “Now that reducing household waste has become an urgent and pressing reality, I believe that only the interest and participation of residents can solve this. Creating an environment where our children and their children can live happily is the responsibility and duty of the adults living today,” urging active participation in household waste reduction once again.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.