[Sisibibi] The Still Ongoing Debate on the Extension of the Sudogwon Landfill Site

In front of the city hall plaza, Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun is announcing the 'Citizen Joint Action for a Major Shift in Resource Circulation Policy,' focusing on the termination of the use of the metropolitan landfill site by 2025. 2020.10.15 [Photo by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The new waste landfill site project 'Incheon Eco Land' in Incheon is gaining momentum. The city has initiated a feasibility study and basic plan establishment, including facility scale estimation, site evaluation, and optimal construction method review, about a year after confirming Yeongheungdo as the landfill candidate site in March last year.

Despite opposition from Ongjin County and local residents due to concerns about nuisance facilities and environmental damage, Incheon has been moving forward relentlessly, completing the ownership transfer registration for the project site last year and now starting this feasibility study. According to the city's plan, Eco Land is expected to begin construction in the second half of next year and be completed by December 2025.

Of course, there remains the challenge of persuading residents of Daebudo, adjacent to Yeongheungdo, and Ansan City, but the current Incheon administration is realizing the establishment of a new waste landfill site, something no previous city government has been able to achieve. This is a significant advancement compared to past Incheon mayors who, mindful of resident opposition, ended research projects without even announcing landfill candidate sites. Above all, it is seen as a visible step toward Incheon's independent move to end the use of the Seoul Metropolitan Landfill Site (Baekseok-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon) by 2025.

Mayor Park Namchun took action in 2015 when the Ministry of Environment and Seoul and Gyeonggi provinces agreed to end the use of the current metropolitan landfill site by 2025 but showed reluctance to implement it. Following the principle of waste treatment at the source, he vowed that Incheon would create its own landfill site to handle its waste. To minimize the waste to be landfilled at Eco Land, plans for new incineration facilities by region are also being developed and promoted.

In contrast, the Ministry of Environment, Seoul, and Gyeonggi provinces held two calls for proposals last year to find a successor landfill site for the current metropolitan landfill, but no local governments applied. The Ministry of Environment plans to hold a third call for proposals after the June local elections, but skepticism remains about whether any local government will step forward to host a nuisance facility.

Some critics argue that the Ministry of Environment and others are merely buying time to extend the use of the current metropolitan landfill site, given the slim chances of securing an alternative landfill site. The Ministry of Environment and Seoul and Gyeonggi provinces have indicated that, based on a 2015 agreement annex, the metropolitan landfill site could be used beyond 2025. The annex stipulates that if an alternative landfill site is not secured by the time the 3-1 landfill section is closed, up to 15% of the remaining site (3-2 section, 1.06 million square meters) may be used additionally.

As expected, the Seoul Metropolitan Landfill Site Management Corporation, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Environment, recently announced plans to commission a design study for the next landfill site in July, preparing for the post-3-1 landfill phase, reigniting controversy over the landfill extension. The corporation explained that if the current 3 landfill sites are exhausted and the next landfill site is not initiated, a metropolitan waste crisis could occur, justifying the study commission.

While the corporation maintains a vague stance that the remaining metropolitan landfill site is not yet designated as the next landfill site, Incheon strongly opposes the Ministry of Environment and the corporation's actions, which contradict the planned 2025 closure of the metropolitan landfill site. The design study for the next landfill site is included in the '7th Environmental Management Plan for the Metropolitan Landfill Site,' formulated by the corporation and approved by the Ministry of Environment. However, during the strategic environmental impact assessment consultation, the Ministry did not reflect Incheon's request to remove this from the environmental management plan.

Because of this, Incheon views the current study as revealing the Ministry of Environment and the corporation's intention to continue dumping Seoul and Gyeonggi's waste in Incheon after 2025, raising critical voices against them. Particularly, the Incheon Federation of Economic Organizations (Incheon Gyeongsilryeon) has drawn attention by proposing a new agenda to transfer the metropolitan landfill site corporation to Incheon City to promote landfill policies led by Incheon.

The transfer of the landfill corporation to Incheon was part of the 2015 four-party agreement, but political conflicts between ruling and opposition parties in Incheon, unwilling to take on the deficit-ridden corporation, have stalled the process. However, Gyeongsilryeon argues that since the landfill corporation effectively manages the closure of the metropolitan landfill site and the securing of alternative landfill sites, Incheon City should promptly take over to be at the center of metropolitan landfill policy.

To bring this issue into public discourse, Gyeongsilryeon has urged political parties to implement the transfer of the landfill corporation to Incheon. It will be interesting to see the positions of candidates running for Incheon mayor in the upcoming June election. Will they propose solutions more advanced than those from four years ago?

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