Site for Seoul Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant Confirmed as Sangam-dong

Plan to Fully Underground New Resource Recovery Facilities

Mapo-gu Sangam-dong has been finally selected as the site for Seoul’s new metropolitan resource recovery facility (municipal waste incineration plant).

New candidate site for a resource recovery facility in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Provided by Seoul City

On the 31st, Seoul City announced that at the 19th Metropolitan Resource Recovery Facility Site Selection Committee held on the 24th of this month, two plots including Sangam-dong 481-6 next to the current Mapo Resource Recovery Facility site were decided as the new location. The total area is 21,000㎡, and the current Mapo Resource Recovery Facility will be closed by 2035.

Currently, the city processes an average of 2,200 tons of waste daily at four incineration plants located in Mapo, Nowon, Yangcheon, and Gangnam. The 1,000 tons of waste that cannot be incinerated at these facilities have been sent to the metropolitan landfill site in Incheon. However, since direct landfill of municipal waste at the metropolitan landfill site will be banned from 2026, the installation of additional incineration plants has become inevitable.

Since December 2020, the city has formed a site selection committee to promote the construction of a new metropolitan resource recovery facility capable of processing 1,000 tons per day, and on August 31 last year, announced that the Sangam-dong area was selected as the optimal candidate site.

After selecting the candidate site, the city conducted on-site investigations within 5 km of the area covering weather, air quality, hygiene/public health, and odor, and carried out a strategic environmental impact assessment using the CALPUFF modeling (a model that measures the impact of pollutants on air quality). As a result, the environmental impact of the new facility on the surrounding area was evaluated as minor, and consultations with the Ministry of Environment were completed, the city stated.

On the afternoon of the 28th, employees from a soil contamination investigation agency are collecting samples to assess pollution levels near the planned site of a new metropolitan resource recovery facility (waste incineration plant) in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The city decided to build the new resource recovery facility entirely underground. Major facilities such as dedicated roads for garbage trucks and waste storage will be placed underground, and the garbage trucks accessing the facility will be converted to eco-friendly vehicles to operate as odorless and harmless facilities. Additionally, cutting-edge automated systems incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, and pollution prevention equipment will be introduced in the waste treatment process, and emission management will be strengthened up to 10 times stricter than the legal emission standards. The status of pollutant emissions will be disclosed in real-time on the Seoul City website and public electronic billboards throughout the city.

The aboveground area will be developed into a space enjoyed by citizens and tourists by installing cultural facilities, observatories, playground equipment, and skywalks that harmonize with the surrounding parks and waterfront spaces.

Benefit facilities worth 100 billion KRW for Sangam-dong residents will be constructed prioritizing residents’ opinions, including swimming pools, gyms, reading rooms, saunas, golf practice ranges, and play areas. Furthermore, a fund will be established annually to be used for residents’ welfare improvement and regional development.

The Site Selection Committee, upon making this decision, resolved and recommended tasks that the city and autonomous district must undertake for the residents of Mapo-gu where the facility will be built.

The recommendations include ▲ preparing a plan for resident health impact surveys ▲ exploring ways for resident participation in the resident support council ▲ developing the new resource recovery facility as a landmark ▲ early demolition of the existing Mapo resource recovery facility through waste reduction ▲ introduction and construction of the latest facilities.

The city promised to thoroughly implement the recommendations and promote various resident support measures, including conducting resident health impact surveys.

After deciding and announcing the new resource recovery facility site on this day, the city will proceed with follow-up procedures such as preliminary feasibility studies and project plan appropriateness reviews (Ministry of Economy and Finance), investment reviews (Ministry of the Interior and Safety), and environmental impact assessments (Ministry of Environment). The environmental impact assessment will be conducted with resident participation.

The site topographic maps and land registers can be viewed at the Seoul City Resource Recovery Facility Division or the Mapo-gu Resource Circulation Division until October 2.

Lee In-geun, head of Seoul City’s Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, “We will continuously communicate with residents and build a safe and clean facility to make it a local landmark,” adding, “Since this is a facility essential for the city and its citizens, we ask for the understanding and cooperation of residents near Sangam-dong.”

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