Lack of Public Incinerators in Korea

Due to a shortage of public incineration facilities, it has been revealed that the number of local governments outsourcing the management of municipal waste to the private sector has exceeded 100 for the first time. About half of the local governments across the country are struggling with waste management.

As of May this year, it has been reported that 105 out of 226 local governments across the country (46.4%) have entrusted the disposal of household waste to private incineration facilities instead of public incineration plants since 2020.

The expansion of the public incineration facility, a typical "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) project, has repeatedly faced opposition from residents, leading to a request for assistance from the private sector, which primarily handles industrial waste.

By region, Seoul accounted for 21 out of 25 autonomous districts (84%), making it the highest proportion of entrusted areas. Currently, there are a total of four public incineration facilities operating in Gangnam, Nowon, Mapo, and Yangcheon districts, but they are insufficient in capacity to handle all the household waste generated in Seoul.

The Seoul city government announced plans to expand a new incineration plant in Mapo District, but it is facing difficulties in proceeding due to strong opposition from residents. Following that, Gyeonggi Province has 22 locations, the Chungcheong and Yeongnam regions each have 21 locations, the Honam region has 16 locations, Incheon has 3 locations, and Gangwon Province has 1 location.

There are observations that the trend of transferring household waste to private incineration facilities for processing, without expanding public incineration plants, will accelerate.

In the metropolitan area, direct landfill of waste will be prohibited starting the year after next. We have to send all household waste to the incineration plant to be burned, and then only the incineration ash should be buried in the landfill. However, we are currently in a situation where it is difficult to secure the capacity of the incineration plant to send the waste immediately. It is inevitable to make use of the private sector.

In Japan, private incineration facilities handle both industrial and household waste. Local governments are entrusted with the autonomy to manage waste without distinguishing between public and private incineration facilities.

In the UK, the management of household waste has mostly shifted to the private sector. Since industrial waste generates more environmental pollutants than municipal waste, it is not environmentally problematic for private incineration facilities designed to handle waste with higher levels of contamination to accept municipal waste.

It has been pointed out that the issue of expanding incineration facilities should not be simply interpreted as "not in my backyard" (NIMBY), but rather that we should recognize waste as "waste resources" and maximize its economic potential.

Taking household waste to private incineration facilities is because electricity can be generated from the thermal energy produced when burning the waste.

While the private sector perceives the same amount of waste as a 'fuel' for generating electricity and maximizes its utility, the public sector, which views waste as a 'subject for disposal,' inevitably has a lower rate of energy recovery.

Key Takeaways: Lack of Public Incinerators in Korea

• Growing reliance on private incineration: Over 100 local governments in Korea have outsourced municipal waste management to private facilities due to a shortage of public incinerators. This represents nearly half of all local governments.
• NIMBY resistance: The expansion of public incineration facilities faces strong opposition from residents, leading to increased reliance on the private sector.
• Seoul facing significant challenges: Seoul, with the highest proportion of entrusted areas (84%), is struggling to keep up with waste disposal needs due to insufficient capacity in existing public incinerators and resistance to new facility construction.
• Shifting towards private incineration: The trend of outsourcing household waste to private facilities is expected to continue as landfill bans come into effect and public incinerator capacity remains limited.
• International examples: Japan and the UK demonstrate successful models of private sector involvement in waste management, where private facilities handle both industrial and household waste.
• Waste as a resource: The issue of expanding incineration facilities shouldn't be solely framed as a NIMBY problem. Recognizing waste as a potential resource for energy generation could lead to a more efficient and economically beneficial approach.
• Private sector advantages: Private facilities, viewing waste as fuel for energy production, achieve higher rates of energy recovery compared to public sector facilities focused on waste disposal.