'Withdrawal of Yeongjongdo Candidate Site' Sparks Resident Backlash... Incheon Western Area Incineration Plant Site Selection Postponed

The schedule for the Incheon Western Area Regional Incineration Plant (Resource Circulation Center) Site Selection Committee meeting, originally set for the 26th, has been postponed due to opposition from residents of the Yeongjong area demanding the withdrawal of the incineration plant candidate sites. The Site Selection Committee had planned to hold a meeting on that day to narrow down the five candidate sites to three.

Incheon City had previously decided to establish three regional incineration plants by district in preparation for the ban on direct landfill of household waste starting in 2026, and recently selected five candidate sites within Yeongjong International City in Jung-gu as the Western Area incineration plant candidates. The Site Selection Committee, formed in November 2021, selected a professional research institute to analyze about 5,000 locations in Jung-gu and Dong-gu, and after seven meetings, made this decision.

However, residents of Yeongjong International City and surrounding areas are strongly opposing, arguing that among the Western Area districts of Jung-gu and Dong-gu, the preliminary candidate sites are concentrated only on Yeongjong Island.

They claim, "The city and the Site Selection Committee decided on five sites by simply listing six inappropriate candidate sites out of eleven based on a simple document provided by the contractor outlining the pros and cons of each candidate site," and "the evaluation criteria and weighting for site selection became meaningless." They also stated, "The Site Selection Committee assigned only two members from Yeongjong and seven from the original downtown area among the nine city council and resident committee members, making the evaluation unfair and conducted on a tilted playing field," declaring the process null and void.

The Yeongjong International City Federation, Yeongjong Development Association, Airport New Town Apartment Federation, and residents of the Yeongjong area held a press conference at Incheon City Hall on the 10th, urging the complete nullification of the selection of five candidate sites for the western region's large-scale incineration plant. July 10, 2023 [Photo by Yeongjong International City Federation]

The jurisdictional local government, Jung-gu, and the Jung-gu Council also demanded the city withdraw the decision, citing unfairness in the candidate site selection, and began gathering residents' opinions. Additionally, two of the five resident representatives from Jung-gu on the Site Selection Committee have resigned, stating they cannot accept the results.

Incheon City has decided to postpone the Site Selection Committee and select the optimal site among the candidates through a public discussion process with Yeongjong residents. They also plan to hold resident meetings for continuous opinion gathering and arrange visits to incineration plant benefit facilities in other areas.

An Incheon City official stated, "The most important factor when deciding the site is resident acceptance," and added, "Since the target completion year for the Western Area incineration plant is 2028, we will continue communication with Yeongjong residents."

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