Fines Up to 10 Million KRW for Failure to Report Apartment Recycling Consignment Processing Performance

Resolution of Six Environmental Laws under the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment, Including the Enforcement Decree of the Waste Management Act

On the 1st, at an apartment complex in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where notices stating that waste vinyl and Styrofoam waste cannot be collected as recyclables were posted across the metropolitan area, maintenance workers are organizing waste vinyl. Due to the sharp drop in waste resource prices caused by China's restrictions on waste imports, recycling companies have announced that they will not collect vinyl and Styrofoam, which is expected to cause confusion among residents. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] From now on, if recycling materials from apartments are entrusted to private processing companies for disposal and the performance is not reported annually, a fine of up to 10 million KRW will be imposed.

A fine of up to 1 million KRW will be imposed for failing to follow disposal methods such as burial or incineration after capturing nuisance wild animals like wild boars and water deer.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 17th that six laws, including the amendment to the "Waste Management Act Enforcement Decree," were approved at the Cabinet meeting.

The Waste Management Act was amended to prevent a "waste collection crisis." The amended law newly stipulates that when household waste from apartments and other multi-family housing is entrusted to private processors for disposal, the performance must be reported to local governments once a year.

The approved enforcement decree includes the criteria for fines imposed for violating the reporting obligation. A fine of 3 million KRW will be imposed for the first violation, 5 million KRW for the second, and 10 million KRW for the third.

In addition, if waste processing personnel do not receive training every three years, the responsibility of the business owner is strengthened to increase their interest in education.

The "Enforcement Decree of the Wildlife Protection and Management Act" includes provisions to strengthen the disposal of carcasses after capturing nuisance wild animals. Nuisance wild animals include wild boars, water deer, magpies, and crows.

The enforcement decree, following the related law amendment, sets the fine standards for failing to comply with the disposal methods of captured nuisance wild animals. A fine of 500,000 KRW will be imposed for the first violation, and 1 million KRW for the second or subsequent violations.

The Ministry of Environment plans to promulgate and enforce the amended enforcement rules, which newly establish disposal methods such as burial and incineration for captured nuisance wild animals, together with the enforcement decree amendment.

The amendment to the "Enforcement Decree of the Act on Resource Circulation of Electrical and Electronic Equipment" expanded the products and substances subject to hazardous substance use restrictions to prevent harmful elements in the living environment in advance.

Twenty-three items, including dehumidifiers and electric massagers, were added to the restricted electrical and electronic products. The management target increased from the current 26 types to 49 types.

Four phthalate hazardous substances, widely used as plasticizers, were added to the types of restricted hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products, in addition to the existing six substances such as lead and mercury.

The newly added restricted hazardous substances are Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP), Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP), Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), and Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP).

An official from the Ministry of Environment said, "This will facilitate the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment and prevent harmful elements in the living environment in advance."

The "Enforcement Decree of the Water Environment Conservation Act" specifies the detailed scope of targets following last year's law amendment, which made it mandatory to install automatic water quality measuring devices at wastewater treatment business sites.

Wastewater treatment businesses that directly discharge wastewater into public water bodies or introduce it into public sewage or wastewater treatment facilities, classified as types 1 to 3, must install automatic water quality measuring devices.

This will enable real-time monitoring of whether wastewater treatment companies properly treat high-concentration wastewater, contributing to the preservation of public water quality.

The "Enforcement Decree of the Waterworks Act" newly establishes a system to strengthen the response system between the government and local governments for water supply accidents regarding the management of water supply networks.

It specifies the tasks that local governments must perform to systematically manage water supply networks, such as establishing maintenance plans, managing leaks, and inspection and maintenance, and manages their performance to enable effective maintenance and management of water supply networks.

In addition, when a water supply accident occurs causing serious damage and urgent recovery is needed, the Minister of Environment will dispatch an on-site incident coordinator to the accident site to support rapid accident response, recovery, and provision of related information to the public.

The "Enforcement Decree of the Act on Observation and Warning of Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcanoes" was prepared to activate the installation and operation of earthquake observation equipment with secured accuracy and reliability, thereby establishing a more stable national earthquake response system.

The decree concretizes the contents regarding the designated observation equipment subject to inspection, the validity period of inspection, and the requirements for designating inspection agencies delegated by the law, and based on this, the inspection system for earthquake observation equipment will be officially implemented.

The Enforcement Decree of the Act on Resource Circulation of Electrical and Electronic Equipment will take effect from January 1 next year, and the other five enforcement decrees will be promulgated and enforced immediately from the 27th.

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