'Yeongheungdo' Selected as Candidate Site for Incheon Waste Landfill... Expansion of Metropolitan Incinerators from 3 to 7 Locations

Preparing for the End of the 2025 Sudogwon Landfill, Only Incheon Waste to be Processed
Completion Targeted for 2024... Yeongheungdo Residents Protest "Don't Make Us Scapegoats"
Three Candidate Sites for New Incinerators in Jung-gu, Namdong-gu, and Ganghwa-gun Revealed

Example of Incheon Eco Land Development [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City has decided Ongjin-gun Yeongheung-myeon as the candidate site for the new waste landfill facility (Incheon Eco Land) to be constructed in preparation for the termination of the use of the metropolitan landfill site in 2025. In addition, four new regional resource circulation centers (incinerators) will be built by region, and modernization projects will be promoted for two existing regional incinerators.

According to the city on the 12th, the 'Waste Landfill Site Selection Survey Research Service' conducted by the Incheon Research Institute recommended a privately owned site of 895,000㎡ at 248-1 Oeri, Yeongheung-myeon, Ongjin-gun. This site is owned by a company that previously applied for the landfill site contest.

The city plans to invest 140 billion KRW to complete the 148,500㎡ Eco Land by 2024, and the utilization plan for the remaining land will be decided later.

Eco Land, which processes only Incheon waste without accepting Seoul and Gyeonggi waste, differs from the existing direct landfill method that buries household and business waste directly in the ground; it will landfill only incineration ash from household waste or non-combustible waste.

The city predicted that if household waste separation is increased and the recycling of bricks and paving blocks from sewage sludge incineration ash is strengthened, the average daily intake will be only 161 tons (about 8 trucks of 20 tons). At this rate, Eco Land can be used for about 40 years.

Eco Land is designed in an eco-friendly way to minimize environmental damage by creating the landfill space 40 meters underground and constructing a dome-shaped building above ground to isolate it from the outside.

The city plans to provide exceptional incentives to the Yeongheung area where Eco Land will be located. It will support the Yeongheung Development Fund worth about 5.8 billion KRW annually and create resident convenience facilities worth 10 billion KRW, including sports facilities and neighborhood parks. Furthermore, local residents will be given priority in employment during Eco Land operation, and support will be provided to prioritize resolving residents' long-standing issues.

However, residents of the Yeongheung area are strongly opposing the decision to designate their area as the Eco Land candidate site.

About 200 residents held a protest rally in front of Incheon City Hall on the 11th, demanding the city withdraw the plan, saying, "If a waste landfill is created in our area ignoring residents' opinions, we will stop it at the risk of our lives." They claimed, "Do not use Yeongheung Island as a scapegoat for Incheon City. The unilateral announcement of the candidate site without consulting Yeongheung residents is invalid."

The city emphasized that Eco Land will be constructed as an eco-friendly facility with no environmental pollution or harm to residents and plans to persuade residents with bold support measures.

In front of the city hall square last month on the 15th, Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun announced the "Citizen Joint Action for a Major Shift in Resource Circulation Policy," which mainly includes the termination of the use of the metropolitan landfill site by 2025.
[Photo by Incheon City]

Additionally, since expanding waste incineration facilities is essential for operating Eco Land, the city plans to increase the number of regional resource circulation centers from the current three to seven.

As candidate sites for new centers to be used jointly by 2-3 districts, three locations have been decided: 69, Sinheung-dong 3-ga, Jung-gu; 714-3, Gojan-dong, Namdong-gu; and 878-1, Yongjeong-ri, Ganghwa-gun. The candidate site for the center to be used jointly by Bupyeong and Gyeyang-gu has not yet been decided. Among the three existing regional incinerators in Songdo and Cheongna, two will undergo modernization projects to expand their facilities.

Incheon City is implementing a policy to completely transform the resource circulation system by terminating the current metropolitan landfill site in 2025, reducing waste generation (0.8 kg per person per day), maximizing recycling rates (from 58% to 95%), establishing an eco-friendly landfill site (Eco Land) in Incheon itself, and expanding incineration facilities.

Mayor Park Namchun stated, "I promise citizens that Eco Land and incinerators will be built as state-of-the-art, eco-friendly facilities," and added, "We will ensure that the construction of these facilities proceeds smoothly through continuous communication and consultation processes such as public consensus with the local governments and residents of the candidate sites and discussions by the site selection committee."

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