Incheon Self Landfill Basic Plan Service Launch... Completion in 2025 at Yeongheungdo

Research Service Period 12 Months, Feasibility Study Concurrent
'Incheon Eco Land' Established on 270,000 Pyeong in Oeri, Yeongheung-myeon
Daily Average Landfill Volume 161㎥, Processing Only Incheon Waste

Aerial View of Incheon’s Own Waste Landfill Site 'Ecoland' [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City is set to accelerate the development of the new waste landfill site (tentatively named Incheon Eco Land) in preparation for the closure of the Sudokwon Landfill Site (Seo-gu, Incheon) in 2025. This facility will exclusively process waste from Incheon.

On the 14th, the city announced that it will commence a research project for the "Feasibility Study and Basic Plan Establishment for Incheon City's Own Landfill Site" covering the area of 248-1 Oeri, Yeongheung-myeon, Ongjin-gun, where Eco Land will be located.

Through this project, the city will conduct a feasibility study from technical, economic, and environmental perspectives, including estimating the scale of the Eco Land facility, site evaluation, prediction and mitigation of surrounding impacts, and review of optimal construction methods. It will also develop plans to enhance community acceptance and establish a basic plan. The project is expected to last 12 months.

Previously, in April last year, the city purchased 17 parcels of land totaling 890,486㎡ (approximately 270,000 pyeong) for the Eco Land site and completed the ownership transfer registration.

Eco Land is planned with a project budget of 120 billion KRW and aims for completion by December 2025. Unlike the large-scale existing Sudokwon Landfill Site, Eco Land will be a small-scale landfill with an actual landfill area of about 150,000㎡, developed in four phases.

Unlike the current direct landfill method that buries household waste as is, Eco Land will landfill only the residuals and non-combustible waste after recycling the incineration ash from household waste processed at local incineration plants. The average daily landfill volume is expected to be 161㎥ (equivalent to eight 20-ton trucks), and the waste will be buried 30 to 40 meters underground rather than on the surface.

The city plans to incorporate only the advantages of advanced domestic facilities such as those in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheongju, Chungbuk, to create Eco Land. The top of Eco Land will be equipped with a sealed air dome to prevent pollutants and environmental damage to surrounding areas, and the area around the landfill will be developed as a citizen rest space.

Plan for Incheon Eco Land development. A waste landfill facility is scheduled to be built in the area marked in orange. [Provided by Incheon City]

The creation of Incheon’s own landfill site is being promoted in preparation for the closure of the Sudokwon Landfill Site in 2025.

Incheon City declared the closure of the Sudokwon Landfill Site, located in Baekseok-dong, Seo-gu, which has been operating since 1992 and jointly processing waste from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province for nearly 30 years, citing serious environmental issues and adverse effects on local development projects. This declaration was based on the 2015 agreement by the "Four-Party Landfill Council (Ministry of Environment, Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi)."

The four-party council agreed to transfer the land ownership of the Sudokwon Landfill Site to Incheon City in exchange for extending the landfill usage period until the closure of Section 3-1 (1.03 million ㎡), originally set for the end of 2016, which is expected around 2025.

However, an annex clause in the agreement states that if an alternative landfill site is not secured by the time of closure, an additional 15% of the remaining site (Section 3-2, 1.06 million ㎡) may be used. Based on this, Seoul and Gyeonggi Province are disputing and demanding extended use.

The Ministry of Environment and Seoul and Gyeonggi provinces held two calls last year to invite regions interested in hosting an alternative landfill site, but no applications were received. The Ministry of Environment is reportedly planning to reissue the call after the local elections in June.

Incheon City did not initially participate as the lead agency for the alternative landfill site call. This is to avoid giving any pretext to demand additional use of the current Sudokwon Landfill Site if the alternative site bid fails. Incheon’s consistent position is to focus on creating its own landfill site rather than an alternative landfill site, in accordance with the principle of processing waste where it is generated.

Oh Heung-seok, Incheon City’s Transportation and Environment Coordinator, stated, "We will do our best to process household waste stably and responsibly in line with the 2025 closure of the Sudokwon Landfill Site and the principle of processing waste at its source." He added, "We plan to make Incheon Eco Land an eco-friendly, advanced, and future-oriented facility, establishing a new milestone for resource circulation for future generations."

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