The government will strengthen the support system for the recycling industry of waste resources such as hydrogen fuel cells and wind turbines. As the supply of renewable energy and eco-friendly vehicles expands, future waste resources are expected to increase significantly, prompting a proactive preparation of measures to enable stable recovery and recycling.
The Ministry of Environment announced on the 8th that it will give a 40-day legislative notice starting from the 9th of this month for the revision of the "Act on the Resource Circulation of Electric and Electronic Products and Automobiles (Resource Circulation Act)."
According to the revision, the scope of items handled by collection hubs will be significantly expanded from existing electric vehicle waste batteries and solar panel waste to include key components such as hydrogen fuel cells, wind turbines, electric vehicle inverters, motors, and reducers. Collection hubs are facilities that support the entire process of recovery, storage, and recycling of future waste resources.
Additionally, the entities responsible for establishing future waste resource collection hubs will be broadened from the current Ministry of Environment to local governments, allowing them to foster circular economy industries tailored to local conditions and promote related technology development and commercialization.
Moreover, the Ministry of Environment and local governments will establish a basis for cultivating specialized human resources for the circular use of future waste resources. They plan to provide customized training for college students, graduate students, and current employees to assist the industry in securing advanced recycling technologies and responding to enhanced global market regulations.
Kim Ko-eung, director of the Ministry of Environment's Resource Circulation Bureau, noted, "Through this legal amendment, the circular use system for various future waste resources will be further strengthened," and added, "We will actively work to ensure that the circular economy industry drives regional growth and contributes to national resource security."