Paju City Says "No Waste Crisis" Expected Despite Metropolitan Landfill Direct Landfilling Ban

Paju City Completes Advanced "Total Incineration" Waste Management System
Incineration-Centered Waste Disposal Established Since 2002
Independent Capacity to Process 70,000 Tons Annually

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province announced on November 21 that there are no concerns about a so-called "waste crisis" resulting from the "ban on direct landfilling of municipal solid waste in the Seoul metropolitan area," which will be fully implemented starting in 2026. This is because Paju City already incinerates all of its municipal solid waste.

Exterior view of Paju City Environmental Management Center. Provided by Paju City

Paju City currently operates two incineration facilities: a regional incineration plant at the Tanhyeon-myeon Environmental Management Center and another incinerator at the Unjeong Environmental Management Center. The maximum daily waste processing capacities of these two facilities are 200 tons and 90 tons, respectively. Through these facilities, the city independently processes a total of approximately 70,000 tons of municipal solid waste per year.

Since 2002, the city has established an incineration-centered waste management system and also operates its own incineration ash landfill facility, which covers an area of 28,370 square meters, to handle the residual ash generated after incineration. As Paju City has already secured the capacity to independently process all waste generated within its jurisdiction, the city is not expected to be affected by the government's new "ban on direct landfilling" policy. The city also believes that concerns about a waste crisis due to restrictions on waste being sent to the metropolitan landfill are largely unfounded.

Furthermore, to address the decline in processing capacity due to the aging of existing incineration facilities and to establish a more stable and self-reliant waste management system over the mid- to long-term, Paju City is pursuing the construction of a new regional incineration facility with a daily capacity of 700 tons. The project is currently under consultation with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment regarding the main draft of the strategic environmental impact assessment, and is proceeding as planned with the goal of completion by 2031.

Paju City Mayor Kim Kyoungil stated, "Paju City already has an advanced waste management system that does not rely on direct landfilling, so the direct impact of the landfill ban policy is virtually nonexistent." He added, "The construction of the new incineration facility will be carried out transparently and in close communication with local residents. We will continue to build a 'sustainable resource-circulating city' that citizens can truly experience."

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