Household Waste
Waste management is one of the biggest challenges confronting Korea and other
industrialized countries where mass consumption and production patterns prevail.
The amount of total waste generated in Korea has been decreasing since 1993
as seen in Table. Household waste significantly dropped in the 1990s and daily
waste volume per person, which stood at 1.3kg in 1994, dropped to 1.01kg in
2001. While the percentage of landfill drastically fell in the 1990s, the percentage
of recycling and incineration went up. In 2001, the proportion of landfill and
recycling of household waste was 43.3 percent and 43.1 percent, respectively,
whereas in 1990, only 7.9 percent was recycled and overwhelming 89.2 percent
landfilled.
The reduction in the total volume of waste can be attributed to the Volume-based
Solid Waste Fee system introduced in 1995, which mandates each household to
pay for the treatment cost in proportion to the amount of its own waste. This
system has proven highly successful, reducing waste for landfill or incineration
by 45 percent within six years of its implementation. It also resulted in a
115 percent increase in recycling, with total socio-economic benefits of US$4
billion.
Of the many varieties of household waste, packaging materials and food scraps
pose issues for concern. Each year, roughly 5.6 million tons (1997 figure) of
packaging materials are used during the distribution stage, amounting to 36.8
percent of total waste. In 1999, the government amended the Promotion of Resource
Saving and Reutilization Act to reduce the use of packaging materials. In a
relevant regulation, the use of PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) shrinkage films, which
obstructs recycling and generates pollutants during incineration, have been
banned from 2001.
Food waste comprises a slightly smaller proportion of household waste than wrapping
materials, at 29.1 percent in 1996 and 23.2 percent or 11,237 tons per day in
2001. The government launched the Comprehensive Measures on Food Waste Reduction
in 1996 to promote a more economical dining culture and maximize reutilization.
The number of businesses obligated to reduce food waste increased from 578 in
1996 to more than 67,000 in 2002. In the mean time, the Ministry of Environment
has been funding the construction of 83 food waste reutilization facilities
(approximately US$35 million) since 1996. In 2001, 56.8 percent of total food
waste was converted to fodder and fertilizers.
As of 2001, 242 household waste landfill sites are in operation in Korea, covering
28.26km2. The Sudogwon Landfill Site, a subsidiary corporation of the Ministry
of Environment that serves the Seoul metropolitan region, is the largest in
the world, with a surface area of 20.7km2 and receiving 20,000 tons of waste
every day. Korea transformed Nanjido, which served as a repository for 92 million
cubic meters of waste from the Seoul metropolitan area for 15 years since 1978,
into an open ecological park. Covering 2,942,000 square meters, Nanjido is now
a thriving home to diverse plant and insect species as well as a growing number
of human visitors.
 |
An environment-friendly waste
treatment facility |
 | Housewives sorting out paper
for recycling |
Industrial Waste
Unlike household wastes, which are disposed of under the supervision of local
governments, the responsibility for industrial waste disposal falls largely
to business owners. In the 1990s, the volume of industrial wastes, including
sludge and refuse, went up by 10 percent annually, surpassing the volume for
household wastes in 1993. Due to the high costs involved in waste treatment
and strict governmental regulations, a growing number of industries are applying
eco-efficient designs and technologies to cut down waste in the production process.
To facilitate this, Korea introduced the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR)
system in 2000 on a voluntary basis, in which the producers of home appliances,
fluorescent bulbs, glass and PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) bottles, metal
cans, tires, and lubricants agreed to treat their discarded products in an environmentally
sound manner. EPR will be enforced by law starting January 2003, and the target
products will include tetra packs, plastic packages, mobiles phones, etc. in
addition to the above items.
For hazardous industrial waste, which requires especially meticulous management,
the government operates four treatment facilities around the country. In 1994,
Korea joined the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements
of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal to ensure the safety of their import
and export. In accordance with the Basel Convention and the Organization of
Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED), Korea inspects and regulates the
import and export of 99 items, including waste oil and batteries.
Toxic Chemicals
Approximately 37,000 kinds of chemical substances are circulated in Korea, with
200 kinds of new chemical substances entering the market each year. The government
introduced a string of preventive measures such as toxicity assessment in the
Hazardous Chemicals Control Act in 1991. With the accession to OECD, Korea revised
this Act to accommodate relevant international regulations and put in place
an advanced form of chemicals management. The revised act administers the Good
Laboratory Practice (GLP) to guarantee the quality and integrity of toxicity
assessment data through laboratory inspections and data audits. The act also
provides for the compilation of toxic chemicals data, including the volume of
their transactions and emissions to air, water and soil.
| Waste Generation |
| Year / Type |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| Total |
144.5 |
141.4 |
147.1 |
148.1 |
180.8 |
194.7 |
188.6 |
219.4 |
234.1 |
| Household |
75.1 |
62.9 |
58.2 |
47.8 |
49.9 |
47.9 |
44.6 |
45.6 |
46.4 |
| Industrial |
69.4 |
78.5 |
88.9 |
100.3 |
130.9 |
146.8 |
144.0 |
173.8 |
187.9 |
|
