Policies for Sustainable Resources Management
Republic of Korea
in
the
Sang-Hun Lee (Ph.D.)
Manager, International Policy Research Center
Korea Environment & Resources Corporation
lsh65@envico.or.kr
1. Introduction
This lecture aims to give an overall introduction about various policies related
with sustainable resources management in Korea focusing on waste
management. The ultimate goals of waste management in Korea are to provide
the clean environment for people and the natural ecosystem by minimizing
waste generation, optimizing waste recycle and treating waste generated in
environmentally sound manner. Strategic approach to promote “3R”s(Reduce,
Reuse, and Recycle) is the core measure to achieve those goals in Korea. The
3R approach contains many successful policies such as “volume-based waste
fee system”, “food waste reduction”, “electronic waste manifest system” and etc.
After explanation of these policies in detail, several topics for the further
discussion and consideration will be suggested. It includes the international
cooperation in the field of resource management policies.
2. Background
1) General Picture of Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea is situated on the Korean Peninsula, which spans 1,100
kilometers north to south. The Korean Peninsula lies on the northeastern section
of the Asian continent, where Korean waters are joined by the western-most parts
of the Pacific. The total area of the peninsula, including its islands, is 222,154
square kilometers of which about 45 percent (99,600 square kilometers),
excluding the area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), constitutes the territory of
South Korea.
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The population of the Republic of Korea as of 2003 was 47.9 million. The
population density of the country is 490 persons per square kilometer. Fast
population growth was once a serious social problem in the Republic, as in most
other developing nations. Due to successful family planning campaigns and
changing attitudes, however, population growth has been curbed remarkably in
recent years. The annual growth rate was 0.57 percent in 2003.
2) Economic Development and Environmental Degradation in ROK
The modern development in Korea is a process of making a modern nationstate. It is full of agony and conflict; colonization by imperial Japan, antagonism
between the left and right wings, Korean War, statist regime and absence of
civil society. The statist state, which admired state rather than nation, did not
use nationalist ideology, but relied upon violence for social integration. Both
North and South Korea had statist states. We can call it ‘security state.’ While
‘welfare state’ puts a priority on increasing individual freedoms and rights,
‘security state’ focuses on eliminating inner enemies for the sake of security
under the circumstance of confrontation between states. In this case, citizens
are not subjects who enlarge freedoms and rights, but objects who are
monitored and mobilized for protecting national security (Kim, D.C., 2000: 2729).
However, the security state can not rely upon violence exclusively for social
integration. It usually utilizes ‘material compensation’ for legitimizing its regime.
As increase of material benefit and affluent consumption makes people
integrated into the dominant order, the state increasingly does not have to use
violence. Thus, South Korea as a security state, had adopted ‘economicgrowth-only’ policy and ordinary people who took advantage of such policy did
not ask for the legitimacy of the security state. Criticism about concentration of
wealth and corruption, environmental degradation, and delay of democratization
was oppressed by the security state.
Rapid industrialization of South Korea has three characteristics: authoritarian
control of industrial sphere by state, high rate of economic growth by exportdriven heavy industry, rapid accumulation of capital (Amsden, 1989). In
particular, heavy industry had a significant impact on the environment. Most
industrial complexes of heavy industry have polluted land, water, and air
severely. In neighboring areas of industrial complexes, sulfur was found on the
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leaves of rice and some elementary school students fainted on the way to the
school due to toxic gas emitted from the factory stacks. The economic
development of South Korea has been achieved at the expense of the
environment.
Korea has diverse natural habitats and abundant biodiversity, as 65.4% of the
land is covered with forests and three sides of its land are surrounded by the
ocean. This is why it has long been called “Geum-Su-Gang-San”, which means
to a beautiful land seemingly embroidered with silky mountains and rivers.
However, the environment-blinded economic development led to problems of
degradation in the natural environment as the destruction of ecosystems as well
as the reduction of forests and tidal flats in many islands and coastal regions.
On top of it, air quality and water quality has been degraded seriously.
The high levels of air pollution have produced serious acid rain problems.
Buildings, clothing, and cars are severely affected by these elevated levels of
acid rain, and the economic costs are incalculable. Acidification of soils and
water resources and industrial development have also either eliminated or
severely reduced the amount of habitat available for animals. Since 1960, it is
estimated that more than one hundred animal species have disappeared, and
Korean urban areas are approaching sterility. The overall environmental
outcome from rapid modernization is as followings.
<Table 1> Average SO₂Level in Major Korean Cities
(Unit: ppm)
City
1984
1986
1990
1992
Seoul
0.066
0.054
0.051
0.035
Pusan
0.050
0.042
0.039
0.033
Taegu
0.040
0.043
0.041
0.040
Kwangju
0.026
0.020
0.017
0.017
Ulsan
0.024
0.032
0.031
0.031
Source: Korean Ministry of Environment, Seoul, 1993, Report on Environmental Status of
Korea, in Eder, N., 1996, Poisoned Prosperity: Development, Modernization and the
Environment in South Korea(Armonk: An East Gate Book), p.7
3
<Table 2> Total Suspended Particulates in Major Korean Cities
(Unit: micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter of air)
City
1984
1986
1988
1989
1990
Seoul
210
183
179
149
150
Pusan
228
194
214
178
149
Taegu
224
140
155
128
133
Kwangju
132
133
100
116
109
Ulsan
177
172
238
165
122
Source: Korean Ministry of Environment, Seoul, 1993, Report on Environmental Status of
Korea, in Eder, N., 1996, Poisoned Prosperity: Development, Modernization and the
Environment in South Korea(Armonk: An East Gate Book), p.8
<Table 3> Biological Oxygen Demand in Major Korean Rivers
(Unit: mg/l)
River
1982
1985
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
Han
5.4
4.7
4.3
3.4
3.4
3.4
3.6
Naktong
3.7
3.7
3.9
3.6
3.0
4.0
3.3
Kum
2.4
2.5
3.2
3.5
3.1
3.1
3.2
Yongsan
3.9
5.2
7.0
6.6
6.7
5.6
5.6
Source: Korean Ministry of Environment, Seoul, 1993, Report on Environmental Status of
Korea, in Eder, N., 1996, Poisoned Prosperity: Development, Modernization and the
Environment in South Korea(Armonk: An East Gate Book), p.9
3) Deployment of Environmental Policy1
In 1978 the Korean government enacted Korea’s first comprehensive
environmental protection legislation, the Environmental Preservation Act. The
act covered most aspects of environmental concerns and established
environmental standards for emissions and waste discharge. It also outlined the
creation of waste-disposal and monitoring programs as well as various
administrative sanctions for violations.
The Environment Administration was established in 1980 and placed under the
control of a vice minister within Ministry of Health and Social Affairs who was
given responsibility for implementing the nation’s environmental laws and
overseeing their enforcement. At the same time, Korea Resources Recovery &
1
The contents of this section are selected and modified from the work of Norman Eder(1996: 15-19).
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Reutilization Cooperation(after 2004, Korea Environment & Resources
Cooperation) has been established for collecting and recycling the wasted farm
plastics.
The major environmental legislation of the 1980s came in 1986, when the
Korean government adopted the Solid Waste Management Act. Interest in solid
waste was directly linked to growing economic success. As wage and living
standards rose steadily through the decade, refuse became a national crisis
and its disposal an administrative obsession. The 1986 law addressed disposal
of refuse, sludge, ash, excreta, waste oil and acid, and animal carcasses. The
law did not, however, govern the disposal of radioactive wastes generated by
public and private activities; oversight of those was and is the responsibility of
the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy and Ministry of Science and
Technology.
The National Assembly made major revisions to environmental laws in 1990.
The Environmental Preservation Act was superseded by a number of specific
actions designed to tackle the growing complexity of environmental problems.
Six separate laws were passed dealing with environmental policy,
environmental preservation, water quality, noise and vibration control,
hazardous chemical substances, and environmental-pollution damage-dispute
mediation. These were complemented in 1992 by the adoption of the Natural
Environment Preservation Act and the Resource Recycling Act. As of 2006, 39
environmental laws are under control of the Ministry of Environment.
Elevation of the environment issue to ministerial rank by creation of the Ministry
of Environment(MoE) in 1990 lent political punctuation to the growing
importance of the environment within Korea.
3. Sustainable Waste Managements2
1) Overall Situation of Waste Management Policy
In Korea, waste is roughly classified into two categories according to its source
of origin: municipal waste from households and industrial waste from business
sites or factories of large scale(generation of waste above 300kg/day). Industrial
waste is further divided into two categories: ‘general industrial waste’ which
2
This chapter are based on such materials; Ministry of Environment, 2005, Green Korea 2005: Towards
the Harmonization of Human and Nature; Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea, 2005, Korea’s 3R
Policy.
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consists of slag, ash, dust, and construction waste, ‘specified waste’ which
consists of toxic wastes such as waste acid, waste alkali, waste oil, waste
organic solvent and so on.
In Korea, waste is managed in a dual system. The local government is
responsible for the final disposal of municipal waste, while the discharger of
industrial waste is responsible for the final disposal of it. Since 1993 the total
amount of waste generation has steadily increased. The trend of waste
generation and disposal of the Republic of Korea from 1997 to 2003 is as
followings.
<Table 4> Trend of Waste Generation of ROK
(Unit: 1000 tons/day)
classification
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Total
195.2
190.3
219.2
234.2
261.0
277.5
303.0
Municipal Waste
47.9
44.6
45.6
46.4
48.5
49.9
50.7
Industrial Waste
147.3
145.7
173.6
187.8
212.5
227.6
252.3
Source: Ministry of Environment, 2005, Environment White Paper, p.581
<Table 5> Trend of Waste Disposal of ROK
(Unit:
classification
ton/day)
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Total
47,895
44,583
45,614
46,438
48,499
49,902
50,737
Landfill
30,579
25,074
23,544
21,831
21,000
20,724
20,450
Incineration
3,409
3,943
4,676
5,441
6,577
7,229
7,348
Recycling
13,908
15,566
17,394
19,166
20,922
21,948
21,938
Source: Ministry of Environment, 2005, Environment White Paper, p.582
To effectively address the waste issue, it is important to reduce waste
generation and recycle unavoidable waste as much as possible. To that end,
the Korean government is focusing on minimizing waste generation through
regulating the use of disposable products and the generation of packaging
material waste, and implementing the Extended Producer Responsibility policy.
Other measures include establishing a source separation of domestic waste
program, expanding recycling facilities suitable to regional conditions,
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developing relevant technologies and encouraging the use of recycled products,
etc. thereby establishing a recycling system conducive both to the minimization
of waste and the circulation of resources.
Following such progress, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) has outlined a
national framework plan in the 2nd Comprehensive National Waste
Management Plan (2002~2011) in March 2002. The goal is described as the
"firm establishment of a sustainable and resource circulating socio-economic
foundation." In order to realize this goal, the consistent promotion of waste
reduction policy, the greater utilization of waste resources, and the safe
treatment and strengthened management of waste materials have been
highlighted as major policy areas to address.
Overarching targets under the plan for a circulatory waste resources
management system are to reduce municipal waste generation by 12%, which
is expected to reach 52,743 tons/day in 2011, to reduce the amount of waste
incinerated or landfilled by 22%, from 27,953 tons/day in 2002 to 21,817
tons/day in 2011, and to increase recycling by 53% by 2011 through efforts
including a direct investment of 1.3 trillion Won (1.13 billion USD) for expanding
recycling facilities, developing recycling technology, and fostering the recycling
industry. In addition, industrial waste generation will be reduced by 8%, while
industrial waste recycling will be raised to 80%. Policy directions are also
geared towards reducing per capita household waste generation from 1.04kg to
0.94kg and increasing the per capita household waste recycling rate from 44%
to 50%, both between 2002 and 2008.
2) Policies for Reduction of Waste
(1) Volume-Based Waste Fee System(1995)
The main objective of the Volume-Based Waste Fee System (Unit Pricing
System) is to impose waste disposal cost on individual waste generators to
reduce the amount of waste generated and to promote separate discharge of
waste. With the system per capita waste has been reduced from 1.3kg/day in
1994 to 1.05kg in 2003; the target for 2008 is 0.94kg. The rate of municipal
waste recycling is targeted for increasing from 44% in 2002 to 50% in 2008.
With the implementation of the circulatory waste management policy, 45.2% of
municipal waste was recycled in 2003, up from 26.2% in 1996. The incineration
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rate also increased from 5.5% in 1996 to 14.5% in 2003. Meanwhile, landfill
disposal decreased from 68.3% in 1996 to 40.3% in 2003, which marked for the
first time, more waste was recycled than buried in landfills.
Figure 1 Result of Volume-Based Waste Fee System
(2) Waste Charge System (1993)
The 'Waste Charge System' is aimed at curbing waste generation by imposing
charges on products that are hard to recycle or that contain hazardous
chemicals. The charge rate is decided based on each product's environmental
impact. The following seven product categories are subject to waste charge:
containers of pesticides, hazardous chemicals and cosmetics, antifreezing liquid,
chewing gum, disposable diapers, cigarettes, and plastic products.
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Figure 1 Trends of Annual Waste Charge
(3) Packaging Waste Reduction
The MOE is also pursuing policies to both quantitatively and qualitatively reduce
the generation of packaging waste. Thus unnecessary packaging has been
reduced and disposable packaging materials are increasingly replaced with
environmentally-friendly materials to facilitate recycling.
To control packaging waste, three policy measures (Regulations on Packaging
Material, Regulations on Packaging Method, Annual Reduction Target of
Synthetic Resin Packaging Material) are in force.
In order to regulate packaging materials that are difficult to recycle, the use of
EPS(Expanded PolyStyrene) has been completely banned in packaging toys,
dolls, and other synthetic products since September 1993. The use of PVC has
been prohibited for packaging eggs, quail eggs, fried food, kim-bap(laverrolled
boliled rice), hamburgers, and sandwiches since January 2004.
For the packaging method regulation, the empty space in the packaging
container after packing (the ratio of total packing size to the left space) and the
number of packing layers are regulated by law for overpackaging control.
Regulations on packing methods are applied to twenty three items in the
following seven product categories: food stuffs, cosmetics, detergent, sundry
goods, quasi-drugs, clothes, and other miscellaneous products.
9
Figure 2 Products Subject to the Regulation on Packaging Method
The system of annual reduction target was introduced to reduce synthetic resin
packing materials and to encourage the use of environment-friendly materials
for packing. Packaging materials subject to the system are: egg containers,
apple and pear holders, instant noodle containers, packing materials for
agricultural, livestock, and fishery products, and synthetic resin buffering
materials for electric appliances.
10
Figure 3 Targets and Ratio of Synthetic Resin Packages
(4) Regulation of the Use of Disposable Goods (1994)
The use of disposable products has been regulated since March 1994, leading
to the significant reduction of the use of plastic and paper bags in retail and
wholesale stores. The use of disposable cups, plates and containers is
prohibited in the hospitality industry, forcing the use of environmentally friendly
materials such as paper or pulp in place of plastic, for lunch box containers for
example. This has resulted not only in the reduction of synthetic resins waste
generation, but also in the environment-friendly improvement of the nature of
the waste itself.
And, in an effort to encourage voluntary abstinence of the citizens from using
disposable products, 43 department stores and large discount retailers have
raised the price of their plastic bags from 20 to 50 won per bag in May 2002,
and have been promoting the use of cloth shopping bags by giving incentives
such as discount mileage or coupons to those customers who bring their own
shopping bags. In order to implement more efficient regulation and spontaneous
compliance of relevant work-places via public participation, the Ministry of
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Environment started a report system on January 1, 2004, by which those who
inform on any breach of the regulation on the use of disposable products get
monetary rewards.
(5) Food Waste Reduction (1994)
Food waste in 2003 amounted to 11,400 tons a day, accounting for about 23%
of the total municipal waste. The government in response has been
implementing a wide variety of policies to reduce waste generation from the
source and recycle as much food waste as possible.
Since 2002, in an attempt to emphasize the importance of reducing food waste
and to encourage public participation, the Korean government has been
implementing education and publicity campaigns in collaboration with NGOs.
The government also launched a PR campaign in 2004 to reduce food waste
through outdoor electronic billboards and advertisements at cinemas and
subways.
For the stable operation of food waste processing facilities, the government
provided about 27.7 billion won in 2004. Also in 2005, to enhance the efficiency
and safety of facility operation and management, the government is making
efforts to improve facilities and disseminate relevant technologies through
inspection of treatment facilities nationwide and holding seminars and
workshops for the responsible officials.
Meanwhile, the MOE is pursuing a government-wide establishment of
"Comprehensive Measures on Food Waste(2005-2009)” through the formation
of a governmental food waste policy council with nine government agencies. In
2005, the MOE established the Food Waste Forum, thereby providing a means
of building consensus among various stakeholders including academia, relevant
institutes and civic groups on food waste-related issues.
(6) Industrial Waste Reduction (1997)
Industrial waste reduction policy was introduced to decrease industrial waste at
the source by analyzing and evaluating waste reduction records and
implementation plans prepared by enterprises generating a huge volume of
industrial waste. Under the system, those enterprises with good performance
are granted incentives, while those with poor records are provided with training
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programs. This policy has been applied to companies producing more than 200
tons of designated wastes or 1,000 tons of non-designated wastes per annum.
1) Policies for Reuse of Waste
(1) Deposit Refund System for Glass Bottles (1993)
The 'Deposit Refund System' was adopted to promote collection and reuse of
used containers by levying a refundable container deposit on consumers. At
present, liquor or soft drink glass bottles are subject to the system.
Figure 4 Collecting System of Refundable Glass Bottles
(2) Packaging Container Reuse System (1993)
Under the Packaging Container Reuse system, companies should voluntarily
13
keep the proportion of refillable containers. The items and standard proportion
are set by the Ministry of Environment. The items and the proportion are as
following.
Figure 5 Packaging Container Reuse System
2) Policies for Recycling of Waste
(1) Extended Producer Responsibility
While the waste generation has been reduced, and recycling increased since
the implementation of the Volume-based Waste Fee System and Waste
Deposit-Refund System, some have pointed out that in order to further
systematically and efficiently reduce waste and increase recycling,
manufacturers should consider waste reduction and recycling from the initial
stage of production.
In response, the Waste Deposit-Refund System was abolished in 2003 and
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replaced by the Extended Producer Responsibility system, which was
successfully introduced and implemented for a total of 15 products, including
paper cartons, glass bottles, metal cans, packaging film, batteries, tires,
lubricants, electronic products, etc. Mobile phones and audio equipment were
added in 2005; the list will include fax machines, printers and photocopy
machines starting in 2006.
The MOE plans to successfully established the EPR system and introduce the
WEEE(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and ELV(End-of-Life
Vehicle) policies in 2005. Also, it will tighten the regulations on industrial waste,
disposable product use, and packaging material waste control, thereby having
the circulatory waste resources management system firmly take root.
Figure 6 Work Flow of EPR
(2) Recycling Business Designation System (1993)
The 'Recycling Business Designation' system includes the manufactures of
paper, glass and steel as a recycling business, and sets a target rate of
recycling for individual sectors. Major recycling businesses designated, for
example, glass container producers with an annual output of more than 20,000
tons, paper manufacturer with an annual output of more than 10,000 tons, and
steel manufacturer with an annual output of more than 100,000 tons should
meet the recycling rate. Others in the same industries are also encouraged to
reach the rate.
15
Figure 7 Target Rate of Recycling 1
(3) Designated By-Products Discharging Business System (1997)
The 'Designated By-Products Discharging Business' system designates steel
slag and coal ash dischargers as a designated by-products discharging
businesses and obliges them to meet a target recycling rate. Businesses
subject to mandatory recycling (crude steel and pig iron producers with an
annual output of more than 100,000 tons, electric power suppliers with more
than hundred million kw of electricity per annum) should be equipped with and
operate facilities for separating, crushing, selecting and recycling designated
by-products. They are also required to keep records of recycling status.
Figure 8 Target Rate of Recycling 2
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(4) Construction Waste Recycling System (2005)
Improvement in the living environment and booming rebuilding and
redeveloping projects in Korea had resulted in construction waste soaring from
10 million tons in 1996 to 53 million tons in 2003. Concrete and asphalt
accounted for 40.5 million tons, or 76.3%, of the construction waste generated
in 2003.
As a result, the Act on the Promotion of Construction Waste Recycling was
enacted in December 2003, institutionally backing the recycling of construction
waste, and in January 2005, the Enforcement Ordinances and Regulations of
the law were established. The Act regulates the use of recyclable aggregate for
construction of a new road and road expansion of more than 4km, construction
of an industry park of more than 150,000 km²and construction of sewage
treatment facilities.
Figure 9 The Volume of Construction under the Regulation
Meanwhile, to enable stable supply of recycled aggregates, a Construction
Waste Management System has been established, which links supply and
demand with information on the production & demand volume and quality of
recycled aggregates. Moreover, in order to encourage the production and
supply of high-quality recycled aggregates, the MOE is pursuing a series of
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methods such as quality standards and certifications for recycled aggregates
and notification of the mandatory volume.
(5) Separate Discharge Label System (2003)
With the EPR system in effect, the 'Separate Discharge Label system was
introduced to allow consumers to easily recognize mandatory recycling
packages and discharge them separately. Producers of mandatory recycling
products or packages are obliged to attach a separate discharge label on their
products. Products and packages which are not labelled as mandatory items,
are supposed to carry the separate discharge label after separate designation.
Figure 10 Design of Label and Inner Character
3) Other Policies for Waste Management
(1) Material and Workmanship Improvement System (1993)
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The 'Product Material Improvement' system obliges manufacturers of
automobiles and electronic products (TVs, refrigerators, laundry machines, air
conditioners, personal computers, audios, mobile devices, printers, copy
machines, fax machines) to consider the recyclability of their products from the
product designing phase. Major target businesses - that manufacture and
import vehicles more than ten thousand per year or electronic goods more than
twenty thousand by item – should assess the recyclability of their products each
year and submit the result to the Minister of Environment and the Minister of
Commerce, Industry and Energy.
(2) Recycled Products Quality Certification (1997)
The 'Quality Certification of Exemplary Recycled Products' system was
introduced to stimulate the demand for recycled goods by enhancing customers'
confidence in them. The government certifies the quality of recycled goods to
further improve their quality.
(3) Public Procurement of Recycled Products (1992)
To facilitate the demand for recycled products, the 'Green Procurement in Public
Organizations' system has encouraged public organizations to purchase
recycled goods. Public organizations subject to the system include the central
government, local governments and public corporations.
(4) Financial Support for the Promotion of Recycling Industry (1993)
The financial support system to nurture recycling industry provides long-term
funds at low interest rates to help small recycling businesses develop key
facilities. The fund budget for 2005 is 67 million US dollars and interest rate sets
at 3.28% (floating interest rate). The fund budget is currently increasing each
year.
(5) Recycling Landfill Gas
To prevent secondary pollution and global warming in the process of recycling
landfill gas, landfill gas power plants have been installed nationwide and are
19
producing electricity in 8 landfills, including the Saenggok landfill in Busan.
Three more landfills including the Daegu Dasa Landfill are being equipped with
relevant facilities.
As for the 50MW landfill gas power generation project in the metropolitan area,
which is expected to be completed soon, the entire cost of the project(77.3
billion won) is financed by private capital. Once the facilities are completed, the
air quality will be improved thanks to the decreased odors around the landfill,
leading to significant import substitution effect with about 20 billion won of
electricity generated.
(6) Management of Infectious Waste
Waste from certain facilities like hospitals has the potential for secondary
infection through pathogens. Therefore, with the need to treat medical or other
infectious waste in a proper way, institutes producing such waste are
increasingly under regulation. Moreover, to ensure safety during collection and
trans-port, discarded surgical instrument and needles, as well as medical waste
in liquid form, are required to be stored in specially made plastic containers.
Incineration facilities for infectious waste are subject to more stringent
emissions standards for dioxin and air pollutants and a TMS(Tele-metering
System) attachment is mandatory for them to monitor the emission of pollutants
during incineration on a real-time basis.
(7) Expansion of waste management facilities
The MOE plans to reduce municipal waste until 2011 by 12% of 2000 levels to
provide a stable infrastructure for treatment. Landfill burial, incineration and
recycling are targeted to be balanced at rates of 53%, 30%, and 17%
respectively. As of 2005, the number of waste treatment facilities in operation is
as follow: 81 for incineration facilities food waste recycling facilities (9,416
tons/day), 235 for landfill sites (disposal capacity: 201,397 tons/day) and 252
for(11,589 tons/day).
5. Conclusion
The future focuses in waste management policy of the Republic of Korea are as
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followings. First, integrated waste management policy should be promoted by
proliferating preventive waste management policy for waste minimization in the
whole life-cycle of production, consumption and disposal. Secondly, based on
polluters pay principle, roles and responsibilities in the process of discharge,
collection, transportation, and disposal, should be properly shared by
stakeholders. Thirdly, to expand participation of stakeholders, enhancing
administrative transparency is crucial work. Therefore, information on waste
generation and disposal should be opened to stakeholders. Fourthly,
information technology should back up the advanced waste management policy.
Fifthly, international cooperation in Asia Pacific region in waste management
should be promoted. ENVICO is now preparing for establishing ‘Asia Pacific
Regional Center for Sustainable Resource Management’. Through ‘Young
Leaders Training Program for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific’,
I hope strong networking be proceeded in near future. Thank you very much.
<Bibliography>
Eder, N., 1996, Poisoned Prosperity: Development, Modernization, and the
Environment in South Korea(Armonk: An East Gate Book)
Ministry of Environment, 2005, White Paper(Seoul: Ministry of Environment)
Ministry of Environment, 2005, Korea’s 3R Policy(Seoul: Ministry of
Environment)
Ministry of Environment, 2005, Green Korea 2005-Towards the Harmonization
of Human and the Nature(Seoul: Ministry of Environment)
21