Ganghwa County Preparing Waste Management Measures as Capital Region Landfill Closure Approaches in 2025

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Seo Dong-young] Ganghwa County announced on the 7th that it is preparing measures for collecting and processing domestic waste ahead of the closure of the Capital Region Landfill in 2025.

The county's domestic waste output has increased significantly from 8,725 tons annually last year to 10,088 tons so far this year, due to increased use of disposable products stemming from COVID-19 impacts, changes in lifestyle including rural villa living from shifts in lifestyle, and the boom in car camping.

Additionally, due to the total volume control system implemented this year for the Capital Region Landfill and Cheongna Incineration Facility, domestic waste output has exceeded processing capacity. The county has increased waste treatment costs in the 2020 supplementary budget to separately process accumulated waste.

Accordingly, the county plans to establish a system for efficient and stable processing of domestic waste to minimize waste generation. It will strengthen operations of environmental supporters and install additional CCTV to fundamentally block illegal dumping. Starting next year, the county plans to promote recycling of domestic waste through item-specific recyclable waste bag distribution programs, installation of community recycling yards (separate collection bins), and designation of dedicated management personnel for vulnerable areas.

Meanwhile, Incheon City is reviewing the feasibility of utilizing Ganghwa County's Yongjung-ri Incineration Facility in line with resource circulation facility modernization projects. The Yongjung-ri Incineration Facility was completed in 2002 and ceased operations in 2011. This decision was made to save costs because waste generation at the time was less than processing capacity, resulting in low incineration facility utilization rates, and all waste could be processed using the Cheongna Incineration Facility.

A county official stated, "Despite this situation, a local media outlet is calling the suspension of incineration desk-bound administration that cannot see ten years ahead, even as a waste crisis looms. By raising issues without solutions and engaging in malicious reporting, they are only causing confusion among county residents."

The official continued, "The Capital Region Landfill Corporation's incineration intake ratio compared to the total amount for each basic administrative division has already exceeded 70% in the first half of this year in many cases, so all local governments across the nation are striving to prepare waste management plans. We ask for special attention from county residents regarding proper waste separation and disposal."