The State to Establish Waste Resource Management Facilities... Profit Returned to Local Residents

Approval of the Public Waste Resource Facility Installation Support Act at the Cabinet Meeting on the 2nd
Goal to Secure Stable Treatment Capacity for Illegal and Abandoned Waste
"Coexistence of Environmental Facilities and Local Residents... A Model of Government Innovation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Legal grounds have been established for the government to install and operate public waste resource management facilities to address the issue of illegal waste disposal.

The Ministry of Environment announced that the "Special Act on the Installation, Operation, and Resident Support of Public Waste Resource Management Facilities (Public Waste Resource Facility Installation Support Act)" was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 2nd.

The government will install and operate public waste resource management facilities to establish a stable foundation for waste resource management and processing, and operational profits will be shared with local residents. The aim is to create a model of government innovation where environmental facilities and local residents coexist harmoniously.

This law stipulates the types of waste to be processed by state-led public waste resource management facilities, the legal basis for installation and operation, as well as specific methods and procedures related to these.

First, the types of waste to be processed by public waste resource management facilities are defined as abandoned, improperly managed, and disaster waste, while the scope of business site waste subject to public processing will be determined later by Presidential Decree.

If a local government head, industrial complex, or residents wish to propose a site, a candidate site will be selected through procedures such as public contests, and then the site selection committee will choose the location reflecting feasibility study results from specialized research institutions.

Once the site is selected, the government or a public institution designated by the government (such as the Korea Environment Corporation) will be responsible for the installation and operation of the public waste resource management facility.

The law also includes support measures for residents and local governments in areas where public waste resource management facilities are planned to be installed.

Depending on the environmental and other daily life impacts caused by the installation of the public waste resource management facility, areas will be classified as "relocation areas," "fund beneficiary areas," or "investment participation areas."

For residents in fund beneficiary areas, a special resident fund will be established at 10% of the installation cost, while residents in investment participation areas will be allowed to invest in the facility installation project.

Profits generated from facility operations will be returned to local residents in cash or in-kind, and operating profits will also be distributed to the heads of the respective local governments to be used for projects that install resident benefit facilities and promote resident welfare.

The installation of public waste resource management facilities will mandate the application of environmentally friendly and aesthetically superior designs, aiming to establish and operate them as landmark environmental facilities in the region.

Additionally, facilities will be operated under strengthened environmental standards, related information will be disclosed, and a resident monitoring system will be utilized to ensure safe and transparent management.

Once public waste resource management facilities are installed, it is expected that illegal waste requiring urgent national-level processing (such as abandoned or improperly managed waste), hazardous waste avoided by the private sector due to lack of profitability or technology, and disaster waste facing capacity shortages will be stably processed.

It is also anticipated that difficulties faced by industry players, such as the imbalance between private processing facility capacity and waste generation volume and the resulting surge in processing costs, can be prevented.

Furthermore, it is predicted that residents living in "fund beneficiary areas" will be able to receive monetary support corresponding to the special resident fund (10% of installation cost), and residents in "resident investment areas" are also expected to generate profits corresponding to their investments.

The Ministry of Environment plans to prepare subordinate legislation and specify project implementation plans through communication and collaboration with various stakeholders and experts in preparation for the law’s enforcement in June next year.

In particular, the types of waste to be processed and standards for facility installation and operation will be determined through sufficient consultation with relevant stakeholders by forming and operating a "public-private-academic governance" during the subordinate legislation drafting process.

Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae stated, "With the enactment of the Public Waste Resource Facility Installation Support Act, a social safety foundation has been established to process waste more stably," adding, "We will thoroughly prepare so that public waste resource management facilities can become a leading example of government innovation where environmental facilities and local residents coexist harmoniously."

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