Yeosu City Begins Seeking Solutions to Extend Manheung Landfill Usage Period

Fully Understanding the Suffering and Harm of Residents Around the Former Manheung Landfill Site

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Yeosu City in Jeonnam Province and the Manheung Landfill Resident Support Council are negotiating to ensure smooth waste disposal ahead of the extension of the Manheung Landfill usage period, which is set to expire at the end of March.

According to Yeosu City on the 17th, the Manheung Landfill was approved for installation in December 1994 with a landfill capacity of 3.25 million cubic meters to handle waste generated within the city and began landfill operations in 1997.

Currently, 2.2 million cubic meters (68%) of the capacity has been filled, making it a facility that can be used until 2037.

The Manheung Landfill Resident Support Council has requested that the city consider the feelings of residents around the Manheung Landfill who have suffered due to the landfill over the years.

Since before the 1980s, Yeosu City buried waste in an unsanitary landfill site in the Manheung-dong area, causing damage to nearby residents due to leachate leakage, fire accidents, odors, and pests.

Since 1997, a sanitary landfill has been operated, with daily soil cover applied and all leachate transported to a sewage treatment plant for hygienic processing to minimize resident damage. Additionally, about 200 million KRW annually has been provided as a resident support fund as compensation for nearby residents.

The city is focusing on finding solutions that can coexist with local residents and, as landfill capacity remains and there is no alternative site, has asked the Resident Support Council for cooperation.

A city official stated, “Amid nationwide instability due to COVID-19, if garbage is left unattended in various parts of the city, citizens’ anxiety and inconvenience will increase, severely damaging Yeosu’s tourism image. Therefore, for the overall benefit of Yeosu City, we expect a magnanimous decision from nearby residents to extend the landfill usage period.”

Meanwhile, regarding the recent increase in waste disposal fees, a city official clarified, “Rumors that fees increased because residents around Manheung-dong blocked waste imports are completely false,” explaining, “The increase is due to the waste pre-notification system and restrictions on waste wood imports implemented this year, which have raised processing and transportation costs for waste disposal and processing companies.”

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