"370,000 Mapo residents want to breathe. Absolutely oppose the construction of an additional waste incineration plant."
About 20 residents from Mapo, Seoul, said this on the afternoon of the 21st at a press conference titled 'Residents win against the new waste incineration plant,' hosted by City Council member Kim Ki-duk at the Seoul City Council in Jung-gu. They are demanding that Seoul City accept the first court ruling stating that the plan to build an additional waste incineration plant in Mapo Sangam-dong should be canceled.
On that day, Council member Kim noted, "Seoul City has ignored the residents' wishes and unilaterally pushed forward the construction of the incineration plant, violating their environmental, health, and property rights," adding, "They should respect the first court ruling that supported the residents and abandon the appeal." He further stated, "We need to break away from outdated waste policies and implement sustainable resource recycling policies instead of constructing an additional incineration plant."
In August 2023, Seoul City decided to construct an additional waste incineration plant in Mapo Sangam-dong. This was because, starting in 2026, direct landfill of household waste will be prohibited in the metropolitan area, allowing only the burial of ash from incinerated waste. The city plans to build an incineration plant capable of processing 1,000 tons per day in Sangam-dong by 2030, following the site selection committee and other processes. The existing nearby incineration plant, which processes 750 tons, is scheduled to close in 2035. Nearby the incineration plant are the Sangam World Cup Park apartment complexes, among others.
In November of that year, 1,850 residents from Mapo filed a lawsuit against Seoul City to annul the notice of the site selection for the incineration plant (large-scale resource recovery facility). The Administrative Division 11 of the Seoul Administrative Court (presided by Kim Jun-young) ruled partially in favor of the plaintiffs on the 10th, citing procedural issues in the process of forming the site selection committee for the incineration plant. A Seoul City official stated, "We are reviewing the legal implications," and noted, "Our plan to appeal remains unchanged."
Mapo residents oppose the construction of an additional incineration plant, arguing that it is not fair as there is already an incineration plant in operation. They point out that more than half of the daily waste generation in Seoul (3,200 tons)—1,750 tons—will be processed in Mapo. Mapo District can handle 2,850 tons of waste per day if the existing four incineration plants (Mapo, Gangnam, Yangcheon, Nowon) operate at full capacity, and they believe that reducing waste generation, such as through coffee grounds recycling, would eliminate the need for an additional incineration plant.