Mayor Son Hun-mo inspects household waste collection, transport and landfill operations
Amid deliberations over relocating the site for a next-generation public waste-to-resource facility — commonly known as a garbage incinerator — Suncheon Mayor Son Hun-mo, who won the June 3 local elections, visited the Wangji-dong household waste landfill Friday to discuss waste management options, including ways to secure additional landfill capacity and extend the facility's operational lifespan.
Son received a briefing on the current operating status of the Wangji-dong landfill and toured its key facilities to assess their condition.
He also met with on-site staff to discuss future management plans for smooth household waste processing and listened to employees' concerns.
The Wangji-dong landfill serves as core infrastructure for the final disposal of household waste, maintaining a clean living environment for residents through final waste burial and leachate treatment.
The facility has a total capacity of 250,000 cubic meters, but as of this month the fill rate has reached 91.4%, leaving it nearly saturated. The city has already secured a budget to raise the surrounding embankment by 5 meters to expand capacity and extend the landfill's usable life.
In line with a government directive recommending a ban on direct landfilling of household waste from January 2030, the city under the previous mayor had pursued plans to build an incinerator in Yeonhyang-dong as an alternative to the Wangji-dong site. However, strong opposition has emerged, led mainly by residents of the nearby Yeonhyang District 3 development.
While direct landfilling of household waste will be prohibited after 2030, ash produced from burning waste at an incinerator can still be buried as before, meaning the Wangji-dong landfill is expected to remain usable until around 2040.
"We will maintain a stable waste management system through hands-on inspections and thorough facility management, and do our utmost to create a living environment where residents can feel safe," Son said.
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