🚨 Metropolitan Landfill

Today Korean Social News for Beginners | 2026.01.18

0️⃣ 500 Million ㎡ Remaining Site Utilization and Transfer Controversy After Direct Landfill Ban

📌 500 Million ㎡ Left at Metropolitan Landfill: Utilization Plans Drift Amid Incinerator and Transfer Discussions

💬 The Metropolitan Landfill is a key facility that has handled waste from Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province. However, with the implementation of the direct landfill ban for household waste, the amount of incoming waste has dropped sharply, shaking the revenue structure of the Metropolitan Landfill Management Corporation. Various plans are being discussed on how to use approximately 500 million ㎡ of remaining site not used for landfill, including attracting a regional incinerator and building solar power facilities. Additionally, the transfer of the corporation to Incheon City, agreed upon in a 2015 four-party discussion, has not progressed due to opposition from the labor union and residents, as well as conflicting interests between local governments. Since the idle site is legally public water and the landfill license and approval rights are divided between different local governments, complex administrative procedures are needed to decide on utilization plans. The waste treatment system transition, site utilization, and corporation transfer issues are all intertwined, delaying the development of solutions.

💡 Summary

The direct landfill ban for household waste has greatly reduced landfill amounts and intake fees, causing problems with the corporation's revenue structure.
Agreement between local governments is needed on whether to use approximately 500 million ㎡ of remaining site for incinerators or energy facilities.
The transfer of the Metropolitan Landfill Management Corporation to Incheon City has not progressed since the 2015 agreement, continuing conflicts.

1️⃣ Definition

Metropolitan Landfill refers to a large-scale landfill facility created in Incheon's Seo-gu by Seoul City, Incheon City, and Gyeonggi Province jointly to handle household waste and some business waste. It began operations in 1992 and has handled waste treatment for the metropolitan area, playing a role in minimizing environmental impact through sanitary landfill, leachate treatment, and landfill gas management.

The Metropolitan Landfill was developed in three phases, with Phase 3 currently in operation. Landfill operations are managed by the Metropolitan Landfill Management Corporation under the Ministry of Environment, which collects fees from waste brought in by the three local governments to secure operating funds. However, with the full implementation of the direct landfill ban starting in 2026, the amount of incoming waste has dropped sharply, making the corporation's finances and the utilization of remaining site key issues.

💡 Why is this important?

It is key infrastructure handling waste for 25 million people in the metropolitan area.
The waste treatment system transition due to the direct landfill ban is urgent.
How to use the remaining site will determine the future of metropolitan waste management policy.
The corporation transfer issue affects cooperative relations between Incheon City and other metropolitan local governments.

2️⃣ Current Status and Problems of the Metropolitan Landfill

📕 Impact of the Direct Landfill Ban for Household Waste

Intake amounts and fee revenue have decreased significantly. Key status:
- The direct landfill ban limits burying garbage directly without pre-treatment like incineration or recycling.
- After full implementation in 2026, the amount of waste coming to the landfill dropped dramatically.
- Intake fees were the corporation's main revenue source, and the decreased intake has increased financial pressure.
- The corporation is having difficulty securing funds to manage the landfill and operate environmental facilities.
Expanding pre-treatment facilities is urgent. Key tasks:
- Due to the direct landfill ban, each local government must increase incinerators and recycling facilities.
- Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi all lack sufficient self-treatment capacity.
- Building new incinerators is delayed due to resident opposition and difficulty selecting sites.
- Only residue after pre-treatment can be landfilled, extending landfill life, but immediate waste treatment alternatives are lacking.

📕 Discussions on Remaining Site Utilization

Approximately 500 million ㎡ of idle site remains. Key features:
- As the direct landfill ban slowed landfill speed, large amounts of unused site have remained.
- This site is legally public water, with landfill license and approval rights divided between different local governments.
- Complex administrative procedures and agreement between local governments are essential for site utilization.
- If left idle, only management costs occur and utilization is low.
Regional incinerator and energy facility placement are being discussed as main options. Key content:
- A plan to attract a regional incinerator to jointly process waste from the three metropolitan local governments is under review.
- There are also proposals to build solar power facilities to produce renewable energy and diversify the corporation's revenue sources.
- Expanding energy facilities using landfill gas could strengthen the eco-friendly image.
- However, different interests among local governments make agreement difficult for each option.

📕 Corporation Transfer to Incheon City Issue

Transfer was agreed upon in 2015 four-party discussion. Key background:
- Incheon City has argued that management authority should transfer to Incheon since the Metropolitan Landfill is located in Incheon.
- In 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Seoul City, Incheon City, and Gyeonggi Province agreed through four-party discussion to convert the corporation into a local public enterprise under Incheon City.
- Incheon City believed it could resolve local residents' complaints and more actively manage the landfill.
- Seoul and Gyeonggi partially accepted Incheon's demands but attached conditions to secure waste treatment stability.
Transfer has not progressed and conflicts continue. Key problems:
- The corporation's labor union opposes the transfer, demanding job security and treatment maintenance.
- Incheon City residents worry that metropolitan waste will continue to come in even after transfer.
- Seoul and Gyeonggi are concerned about possible intake restrictions or fee increases if Incheon City manages the corporation.
- Due to lack of trust between local governments and delayed development of specific conflict resolution plans, this has drifted for over 10 years.

💡 Main Issues of the Metropolitan Landfill

Financial problem: Intake fees drop sharply due to direct landfill ban, lacking corporation operating funds
Site utilization: Need agreement between local governments on how to use 500 million ㎡ remaining site
Incinerator location: Concerns about resident opposition and environmental problems when attracting regional incinerator
Corporation transfer: No progress since 2015 agreement due to labor union and resident opposition
Legal complexity: License and approval rights for public water site are divided, making procedures complex

3️⃣ Reasonable Solutions

✅ Establishing Remaining Site Utilization Plans

Clear utilization plans must be prepared through agreement between local governments. Key directions:
- A council with participation from Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi should be formed to discuss site utilization plans.
- Various options including regional incinerator, solar power, and energy facilities should be comprehensively reviewed.
- Each local government's waste treatment needs and financial burden should be balanced.
- Social acceptance should be secured through collecting resident opinions and conducting environmental impact assessments.
Resident support and compensation should be strengthened when attracting regional incinerators. Key tasks:
- Resident participation should be guaranteed in the incinerator site selection process.
- Resident benefits such as heating and electricity supply using incineration heat should be provided.
- Environmental monitoring and health impact surveys should be continuously conducted.
- Practical compensation measures such as local development fund creation and job creation should be prepared.

✅ Corporation Financial Stabilization Measures

Various revenue sources should be secured. Key measures:
- Solar power and landfill gas power generation businesses should be expanded to increase electricity sales revenue.
- Environmental education facilities and ecological parks can be created to generate tourism revenue.
- Recycling sorting facilities can be operated to earn profits from recycling product sales.
- A stable operating foundation should be established through financial support from the central government and local governments.
Efficient operations and cost reduction should be pursued. Key tasks:
- Leachate treatment and landfill gas management technology should be upgraded to reduce operating costs.
- Smart management systems should be introduced to efficiently utilize personnel and resources.
- Unnecessary management costs should be reduced and focus should be on core tasks.
- The corporation organization should be reasonably reorganized to increase operational efficiency.

✅ Resolving Corporation Transfer Issues

Labor union and resident concerns must be addressed. Key directions:
- Specific measures to guarantee corporation employee status and treatment must be prepared.
- Clear presentation of landfill closure timeline and post-utilization plans should be made to Incheon City residents.
- Agreements guaranteeing stable waste treatment for Seoul and Gyeonggi should be concluded.
- Trust between local governments should be restored and long-term cooperative relationships built.
Gradual and transparent transfer procedures should be conducted. Key tasks:
- Transfer schedule and procedures should be clarified and monitoring systems for each stage should be established.
- A consultation body that can quickly resolve problems occurring during transfer should be operated.
- Even after transfer, governance with joint participation from the three metropolitan local governments should be maintained.
- Social consensus should be drawn through transparent information disclosure and resident participation.

🔎 Direct Landfill Ban for Household Waste

The direct landfill ban is a system that restricts landfill without pre-treatment.
- The direct landfill ban restricts burying garbage from households and small businesses directly without pre-treatment processes like incineration or recycling. It was introduced to reduce waste and protect the environment, aiming to extend landfill life and reduce pollution.
- Key contents of the system include: first, household waste must undergo pre-treatment such as incineration, recycling, or composting. Second, only residue remaining after pre-treatment can be landfilled. Third, local governments must expand incinerators and recycling facilities. Fourth, violations result in penalties such as fines or intake restrictions.
- Due to this system, intake amounts at the Metropolitan Landfill have greatly decreased. Since only pre-treated waste is brought in, landfill life has extended, but the corporation's fee revenue has decreased, causing financial problems. Additionally, each local government has difficulty treating waste due to lack of self-treatment capacity. Long-term, it contributes to building an eco-friendly waste management system, but short-term, infrastructure expansion and cost burden remain as challenges.

🔎 Regional Incinerator

A regional incinerator is a large-scale waste incineration facility used jointly by multiple local governments.
- A regional incinerator refers to a large-scale waste incineration facility that nearby local governments jointly invest in and use. It is more cost-effective than each local government building its own incinerator and can apply advanced environmental technology.
- Features of regional incinerators include: first, large facilities that can process hundreds of tons or more of waste per day. Second, they have energy recovery facilities that produce electricity or heating using incineration heat. Third, they comply with environmental standards through advanced air pollution prevention facilities. Fourth, multiple local governments share operating costs and revenues.
- However, resident opposition is frequent during site selection. Residents near incinerators often conduct opposition movements due to concerns about air pollution, odors, and health damage. The plan to attract a regional incinerator to the Metropolitan Landfill is also difficult to agree on due to Incheon resident opposition, environmental impact assessment, and cost-sharing issues between local governments. For successful implementation, transparent information disclosure, guaranteed resident participation, and provision of practical compensation and local benefits are essential.