Waste Management

Prevention and minimization and environmentally sound management of

hazardous wastes

1.1 Waste Policy and Implementation Direction

In order to quickly respond to the changes in the policy circumstances caused by climate
change and the exhaustion of raw material and fossil fuel, the government has adopted a
new waste policy direction, which goes beyond preventing pollution and moves towards
the construction of a sustainable resource recycling society, by managing waste as a
recyclable resource and improving resource productivity.

The policy structure has been modified as well, from one that was focused on reduction,
recycling, treatment and disposal, to one that is oriented toward recycling, energy
harvesting, and the improvement of treatment and disposal methods.

< Paradigm Shift in Waste Management Policy >

Previous Policy Direction

New Policy Direction

Policy

Worsening Pollution due to

Climate Change, Raw Material

Circumstances

Waste

and Fossil Fuel Exhaustion

Objective

Create Clean Living Conditions

Construct a Resource Recycling

Society

Implementation

Reduction Recycling

Effective Production/Consumption

 Material Recycling Energy

Strategy

Treatment and Disposal

Advancing Treatment

Harvesting

and Disposal

Volume-Rate Garbage Collection

Resource recyclability Evaluation,

Main Task

System,Extended Producer

Recycled Product Quality

Responsibility Policy and

Certification, Waste-to Energy,

Treatment Facilities

Large-Scale Treatment

Core Concept

Waste

Resource(Recyclable / Natural)

1.2 Waste Generation Status

In accordance with the Wastes Control Act, which was created to gather the necessary
basis data for the establishment of waste management policies, current information on
waste generation and treatment is collected and regularly updated, including the amounts
of waste generated by type, regional distributions, and changes in disposal patterns. A
National Waste Statistics Survey is conducted every 5 years, and a National Waste
Generation and Treatment and a National Designated Waste Generation and
Treatment are conducted annually.

The total amount of waste generated has gradually increased, but municipal solid waste
disposed per person has decreased from 1.3kg per day in 1994 to 1.02kg per day in 2007.
In particular, the amount of landfill and incinerated wastes has greatly decreased since
1995 due to the continuous increase in recycling caused by the implementation the
Volume-Based Waste Fee System. However, the amount of construction waste has
increased annually.

< Current Waste Generation >

Ton/day

Municipal l
Commercial
Construction
Municipal

Specified

200,000

180,000

168,985
172,005

160,000

145,420
148,489

140,000

134,906

120,141

120,000

103,893

108,520

101,453

112,419

114,807

100,000
92,713

105,018

101,099

99,505
98,891

78,777
95,908

80,000

62,221

60,000
47,693

40,000
44,583
45,614

46,438
48,499
49,902
50,736
50,007
48,398
48,844
50,346

20,000
5,265
7,489
7,615
8,105
7,985
7,982
8,152
8,634
10,026

9,511

1998
1999

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007

1.3 Waste Treatment

Looking at municipal solid waste, the recycling rate has increased and the
percentage that is land filled has decreased, while the percentage incinerated has
also increased. In 1995, 72.3% of municipal solid wastes were land filled and
23.7% were recycled, whereas in 2007, 57.8% were recycled and 23.6% were land
filled.

< Municipal Solid Waste Treatment >

(Ton/day)

Landfill

Incinerated

Recycle

35,000

30,000

29,116

27,243
27,922

25,074

24,588

25,000

23,544

22,938

21,831
21,000
21,949

20,000

20,922
20,724

20,450

19,166

18,195

17,394

15,000

13,402

15,566

12,601
11,882

10,000

8,321
9,348

7,229
7,348
7,224
7,753

5,000

6,577

5,441

3,943
4,676

1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007

Commercial waste has demonstrated a similar pattern to municipal solid waste. The
percentage of commercial waste that is land filled has decreased, whereas the percentage
recycled has steadily increased, reaching 84.2% in 2007.

< Commercial Waste Treatment >

(Ton/day)

Landfill
Incinerated
Recycle
Specified

300,000

250,000

244,131
249,576

200,830
212,728
212,681

200,000

172,323

158,841

150,000

125,990
138,031

100,000
96,351

50,000
36,753
30,574
29,904
32,677
34,303
29,377
26,043

27,794

21,632
14,646

7,341

12,106
10,893

8,893
11,732

11,338
11,341

9,669

10,693
10,211

1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004

2005
2006

2007

2. Transferring Expertise and Environmentally Appropriate Technology

Related to

Cleaner Technology and Low-waste Product

Production

2.1 Programs for Technological Development

The government is implementing the Clean Industry Original Technology Development

Project, which prohibits the use of hazardous materials and promotes the reduction of the
pollution generated by industrial activity. In addition, it supports the Resource Recycling
and Industrial Energy Technology Development Project, which aims to reduce resource
consumption before production, and effectively recycle previously-used resources.

In 2008, 26.7 billion Korean won in government aid was spent on the development of
clearer production technology. The government has also sponsored more than 140
fundamental industry environmental and original technology development projects to
foster the production of E2 (ecological and economical) products and the development of
non-polluting production technology, resource recovery technology, and alternative
technology. As a result, reductions in commercial waste and ecological and economical
efficiency have been continuously improved.

In 2008, the government gave 30.26 billion Korean won (Ministry of Knowledge
Economy, 20.46 billion; Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Ministry of
Environment, 9.8 billion) to support the development of technologies

for efficient resource recycling. As a result, resource consumption has been greatly
reduced, and resources already used once are efficiently being recycled.

The Korean government has drafted a technology development implementation

strategy, and has adopted yearly development plans to substitute for or reduce the
use of rare metals in electronic appliances and automobile manufacturing. By
establishing a roadmap for the substitution and reduction of the rare metals used in
automobile and electronic appliance manufacturing, the government has created a
means to improve the nations technological development efficiency. Furthermore,
by deriving RFP (Request for Proposals) and implementation plans concerning
substitution and reduction technologies for indium, transparent electrode, and
platinum, it has proposed a systematic solution for rare metal substitution. In the
future, the government will continuously support the implementation plans for the
revitalization of the rare metals industry, as well the establishment of a resource
management system at the state level that overcomes resource and environment
problems.

Moreover, we have devised a plan at the state level, such as the formation of a
taskforce team, to prepare a plan to revitalize recycling and recollect metal wastes
for green growth.

Since 2005, the government has been promoting a remanufacturing project to

recover and reuse resources in a more efficient manner. As a result, 4 products were
examined, the standards for alternator and starter motor were set, and one product
was ultimately confirmed as remanufactured.

An eco-industrial park spreads the clean production individually operated by

businesses to an entire industrial park. Although businesses can independently
practice clean production, such implementation has limitations. Furthermore, if
businesses cooperate with their local communities, more examples of clean
production can be achieved. Successful examples of eco -industrial parks can be
observed in many different parts of the world. Since the project research for the
construction of an eco-industrial park was conducted in 2003, the Ministry of

Knowledge Economy has been running an eco-industrial park construction pilot

project in 5 industrial parks (Yeosu, Pohwang, Sihwa, Banwol, Mipo, Onsan, and
Cheongju) since 2005. In 2009, a 2-step project will be conducted in 2 additional
industrial parks. For nationwide project promotion, the Act on the Promotion of
the Transition toward an Environment-Friendly Industrial Structure established an
implementation basis for the eco-industrial park projects in 2005.

2.2 Education, Training, Raising Awareness, and Capacity Building

Since 2000, elementary and intermediate level education on CP methodology has

been provided online for field workers of small and middle-sized businesses, in
addition to a 12-week course on clean production and eco-management for the
CEOs of corporations. In addition, the government has also continuously publicized
the development of E2 products and clean production success stories through the
press.

2.3 Collaboration System and Partnership

The Korean government has adopted the Clean Production Technology

Development and Distribution Project (2006) and the Energy and Resource
Recycling Technology Development and Distribution Project (2007) as a way to
strengthen the environmental improvements led by the industrial sector through
collaboration between governmental and nongovernmental organizations. As a part
of this project, the government is providing aid (4.5 billion Korean won) to build
large, medium, and small-scale green partnerships between small enterprises and
corporations, in which the corporations superior environmental management and
clean production technologies are shared with the enterprise through the supply
chain that is built between the partners. The green partnership project, which makes
use of the supply chain between the partner small enterprise and the corporation, is
part of an eco -collaboration program, and starting from 2009 is focused on
building a carbon management structure for partner organizations to enable small
enterprises to respond to climate changes.

2.4 International Collaboration

In terms of international collaborations, the National Cleaner Production Center

under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy hosted the Korea-China-Japan Clean
Production Technology Symposium in 2008 for the diffusion of clean production.
Each countrys reports and presentations on clean production, environmental
management implementations and success stories further revitalized the
technological exchange between the three countries, and established a basis for a
network system for clean production exchange. Moreover, Korea will host an

economic- technological exchange science and technology forum in 2009, and will
seek ways to collaborate with China and Japan for the development of policies and
technologies related to the environment, energy, and resource recycling.

2.5 Domestic Legal System, Administration, and Other Relevant Measures

The the Act on the Promotion of the Transition toward an Environment-Friendly

Industrial Structure was amended (December 2005) to establish a support basis for
fostering the remanufacturing industry, and an implementation structure that
includes legal specificities, such as quality certification for remanufactured

products and the provision of financial support (1.3 billion Korean won in 2007) to
remanufacturers. In compliance with these regulations, the Minister of
Environment and the Minister of Knowledge Economy are to collaboratively select
and test automobile components and electronic appliance parts for remanufacturing.
Industrial machinery and electronic products, military equipment, and medical
equipment will also become targets for remanufacturing in the future, in
consideration of domestic industry conditions and economic impacts. Furthermore,
specialized research institutes (Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Korea
Automotive Technology Institute) have been established, and a means to enact the
standardized industrial classification code for remanufactured products is being
devised (2007).

Also, by amending the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of

Resources (2008.3.21), a new system was introduced that allows business owners
to evaluate and manage the potential recycling of products.

3. Waste Reduction

3.1 Restricting the Use of Disposable Products

The government has been implementing the Act on the Promotion of Saving and
Recycling of Resources since 1994 to restrain the use of disposable products. As
part of this regulation, business types that frequently use disposable products, such
as paper cups and plastic bags, are either restrained from the extensive use of such
products or are prohibited from giving them out to costumers for free.

For example, the use of disposable cups, plates, bowls (synthetic resins, foil),
chopsticks, toothpicks, and plastic tablecloths is restricted in restaurants and
cafeterias. In large shops and in wholesale and retail stores, the provision of
disposable bags free of charge is prohibited.

Since the adoption of the Action Plan for Reducing the Use of Disposable
Projects by public organizations in June 2009, the use of personal mugs rather
than non-reusable paper cups has been encouraged. Currently, measures for
revitalizing the collection and recycling of paper cups are being implemented. The
government has achieved a voluntary cooperation agreement with restaurants and
caterers (13 companies and 17 brands as of March 2009), under which the business
owner charges a nominal fee for paper cups, gives a discount to customers who
bring their own cups, and collects take-out paper cups for recycling when
customers bring them back.

Concerning disposable plastic bags, the government has achieved a voluntary cooperation
agreement with wholesalers and retailers to increase the number of shops that do not give
out disposable bags, in order to reduce the use of the bags in the first place. By encouraging
businesses to voluntarily participate in stopping the sale of disposable plastic bags and
promoting the use of shopping baskets and empty boxes, the government intends to turn the
action plan into a civil campaign.

3.2 Preventing Packaging Waste Generation

In compliance with the 1993 Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of
Resources, policies are being implemented to reduce unnecessary packaging materials
wasted during transport, storage, handling, and usage. These policies include regulations on
packaging materials that are intended to be replaced with recyclable environmentally
friendly materials, as well as packaging instructions (packaging dimensions and packing
sequence) that reduce the use of packaging materials. The key points of the regulations are
summarized below:

< Key Points of Regulations on Packaging Materials and Method >

Main Regulations and Standards

The use of packaging materials (including stickers attached on products) that are laminated, coated, or
contracted using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is prohibited

Packaging - Prohibit or annually reduce the use of synthetic resin materials (such as PVC )

Materials Prohibited: Packaging materials for chicken and quail eggs, fried food, rice rolls, hamburger,
and sandwich and 6 other types of food

Annual Reduction: 5 items, including egg trays, plates, bowls made of cotton

Packaging - Applied to 23 manufacturers, importers, sellers: restricts size proportion (10%~35%) and
Method number of packaging (Less than twice)

3.3 Food Waste Reduction

To improve dining culture, the government adopted the Comprehensive Measures for Food
Waste Reduction in 2001, and has carried out various activities, including TV and radio
campaigns to encourage food waste reduction, everyday action plans, and videos and
posters.

As Koreans have traditionally considered a huge and elaborate meal to be a virtue,

changing the dining culture has been difficult. However, public awareness of the
wastefulness of traditional Korean dining culture has been gradually improving. According
to the 2007 Public Awareness Survey, 94% of Koreans shared the belief that food waste
should be reduced.

As a result of the continuous promotion of the 2005 regulation banning the

dumping of food waste into landfill sites and promoting the recycling of food waste
as feed and fertilizer, more than 95% of food waste has been recycled. To improve
the quality of the recycled products and secure a wider base of demand, the
government has implemented strict facility inspection measures, and has compelled
businesses to voluntarily run quality certification and damage compensation
programs. The government plans to establish a recycled product distribution system
that can supply the recycled products in timely manner in the future.

Recently, an energy policy regarding the production of biogas from the wastewater
generated from food waste recycling has been implemented.

3.4 Waste Charge Policy

To restrain waste production and prevent the squandering of resources, the

government has adopted a Waste Charge Policy. Following the polluter pays
principle, the policy obliges the manufacturers and importers of products, materials,
and containers that may be hazardous or are difficult to recycle and manage to
share the cost of processing the waste.

Since its enactment in 1993, the methodology for selecting the applicable items has
been modified, and as of now, the waste charge is imposed on 6 items, including
pesticides, toxin containers, antifreeze solution, gum, disposable diapers, cigarettes,
and plastic products and packaging material.

The waste charges levied are added to the Special Budget for Environmental
Improvement and are used to fund research and technology development for waste
reduction and recycling, and to support projects concerning recycling and the
construction of waste treatment facilities, as well as to provide financial supports to

waste collection and recycling efforts by local governments, and for buying and
storing reusable resources.

In 2008, the plastics industry signed a voluntary cooperation agreement with the
Minister of Environment to foster the recycling of plastics, and to ease the financial
burden on the associated businesses. Today, the businesses that have recycled more
than required under the compulsory recycling scheme are exempted from paying
the waste charge.

Last years implementation results (from January to December) indicate that a total
of 69,213 tons were recycled, yielding an economic benefit of approximately 75.9
billion Korean won. Moreover, it is estimated that as a result of these efforts,

approximately 23,532 tons of greenhouse gases (CO 2) emissions from plastic

landfill or incineration were prevented.

In the future, plastic products will be exempted from the requirements of Extended
Producer Responsibility Policy in steps if more than a certain proportion of the total
amount of the products released to market can be recycled.

3.5 Volume-Based Waste Fee System

Administered since 1995, the Volume-Based Waste Fee System is a regressive

taxation system that is calculated based on the amount of waste production. It is a
modification of the previous fixed -rate taxation system that was calculated based
on the property tax or the size of a building. The policy aims at reducing waste
production from the source by applying the polluter pays principle, and promoting
the separate disposal of recyclable waste.

The Volume-Based Waste Fee is applied to municipal solid waste and to

commercial general waste that has properties similar to municipal waste, and is
collected, transported, stored, and processed in a similar manner.

The Volume-Based Waste Fee requires non-recyclable waste to be disposed in a

special standard bag that is manufactured and sold by the local governments, and
requires recyclable waste (paper, metal, bottle, and plastic) to be collected at a
specified date and place for free government collection. When throwing away large
waste such as furniture and appliances, the government requires a special sticker to
be purchased and attached to the waste for collection to cover the extra processing
fee. Non-recyclable waste that cannot be placed in a bag, such as broken glass,
must be disposed of in a special sack.

4. Recycling

4.1 Extended Producer Responsibility System

To promote recycling, the government has been administering an Extended

Producer Responsibility system (EPR) since 2003, which obliges manufacturers
and importers to recycle a certain amount of their products. At the time of
introduction, only 15 products were subject to the policy, and by 2008, the list of
applicable items had been expanded to include 24 items (4 packaging materials and
20 products).

Since the introduction of the system, the total amount of waste generated per person
has decreased by 14.0%, from 46.62 kg in 2003 to 53.16 kg in 2007, while

the amount recycled increased by 30.5%, from 21.88 kg in 2003 to 28.56 kg in

2007. These are the results achieved by increasing public awareness on garbage
separation and by actively collaborating with manufacturers and recyclers in the
midst of the policy supports from the implementation of the EPR, including an
improved separate disposal system, expanded and advanced recycling facilities, and
upward adjustments of the compulsory recycling scheme.

The economic benefit gained from recycling 6.067 million tons of waste in the 5
years since the ERP was enacted is estimated to be 2.2643 trillion Korean won.
1.2497 trillion Korean won has been saved from reduced landfill (incineration)
cost, and another 1.0146 trillion Korean won has been created from the economic
value generated by the recycled products. Even after the 1.1825 trillion Korean won
spent on the collection, transport, and processing of recyclable wastes is deducted,
the net profit created amounts to 1.0818 trillion Korean won. When considering
various incalculable benefits, including the increased number of years that a landfill
site can be used, and the raw-material import substitution effects, it can be expected
that many more social benefits will be gained in the future. In addition, by
recycling the items subject to the EPR policy instead of land filling or incinerating,
CO2 emissions have been reduced annually by an average of 412,000 tons.

Despite these successful implementation results of EPR, several items subject to the
policy are not being widely recycled, due to their low economic feasibility or
insufficient publicity. For example, there are frequent civil complaints that filmbased packaging materials are not being separated when disposed of because of the
insufficient recycling capacity of several local governments.

To solve this problem, the government is currently reviewing a proposal to add the
film packaging materials used on disposable plastic bags, and packing materials for
electronic appliances, cloths, hygienic products, and household rubber gloves to the
list of items subjected to the ERP. By fostering the development of recycling
technology and the recycling industry and constructing an infrastructure for
recycling, the government seeks to continuously extend the list of the items.

4.2 Recycling Used Electronic Appliances and Cell Phones

To build an effective recycling system for throwaway electronic appliances and cell
phones, the government passed Act on Resource Recycling of Electric and
Electronic Products and Automobiles in 2007, and devised an integrated
management system that oversees every step from production to disposal in 2008.

Manufacturers and importers of 10 kinds of electronic appliances, including TVs,

refrigerators, and washing machines, must abide by the law, which restricts the

content of 6 hazardous chemicals including lead, mercury, and cadmium when

designing and manufacturing their products. In addition, they must modify product
designs and material quality to improve recyclability, and must collect and recycle
more than a certain percentage of the total amounted released.

Furthermore, for the efficient collection of throwaway electronic appliances and

cell phones, the government requires product sellers to collect disposed products
for free, and requires manufacturers and importers to provide useful information
concerning the material composition of their products and dismantling methods to
recyclers.

Although the disposal rate of cell phones is high, their collection rate is relatively
low. To amend this situation, the government is running the Used Cell-phone
Collection Campaign in collaboration with elementary/middle schools, express
train stations, and wholesale stores, and is publicizing the importance of recycling
and the appropriate disposal methods.

The government will continuously improve the regulations restricting the

percentage of hazardous chemicals and the waste collection and recycling system in
the future. Furthermore, it will gradually extend the list of items for compulsory
recycling, to ultimately include all electronic appliances.

4.3 Scrap Automobiles Recycling

To construct an effective recycling system for the more than 600,000 automobiles
disposed of annually, the government requires automobile manufacturers and
importers to abide by the regulations that limit the content of 4 hazardous
chemicals, including lead, mercury, and cadmium, when designing and
manufacturing automobiles. In addition, they must modify product designs and
material quality to maintain 85~95% recyclability of their products, and must
collect and recycle more than 85~95% of the total amount released to the market.

Furthermore, the government has installed a recycling system and adopted

recycling methods and standards appropriate for each step in processing scrap
automobiles, including handling scrap automobiles and recycling automobile parts
to foster environmentally friendly recycling.

In particular, scrapped automobile parts such as anti-freeze solution, which may

cause changes in climate and the eco-system, have not been sufficiently recycled.
However, it is expected that depending on the degree of the policy effectiveness,
the recycling of such parts will greatly increase.

4.4 Construction Waste Recycling

In 2003, theConstruction Waste Recycling Promotion Actwere adopted to process

construction waste in an environmentally friendly manner, and to use national
resources effectively by fostering recycling.

Construction waste has increased annually due to Koreas dramatic economic

advancement and population growth, and now accounts for 51% of all waste.
Although approximately 97% of the 63 billion tons of construction waste produced
in 2007was recycled, the recycled waste was mostly used for simple land fill and
land development, and thus recycling the waste as resources with high added value
to substitutes for natural aggregates is at an insufficient stage.

To increase the rate of recycling to resources with high added value to 30% by
2011, the Framework Plan for Construction Waste Recycling (07~ 11) was
adopted in 2006. According to this plan, public organizations must make separate
contracts for construction and construction waste management, and use recycled
aggregate when constructing buildings above certain size.

In particular, since asphalt concrete waste can be recycled as a resource with high
added value relatively easily, the government has made compulsory the separation,
storage and reuse of asphalt concrete waste to increase the recycling rate to above
50%, and has modified the policy that obliges corporate and private contractors
working on public constructions to use a certain amount of the recycled concrete.

In the future, the government will strengthen the quality management standards for
recycled aggregates and recycled aggregate products (such as recycled ascon),
support the development of relevant technologies, construct a data management
system, and continuously promote policies to diversify the uses of recycled
aggregate and encourage construction waste recycling.

4.5 Revitalizing the Marketplace

To establish a culture of resource recycling, the government strives to change

public opinion on the reuse of used goods and to promote a culture of sharing while
approaching resource recycling and reuse with diverse policy measures.

The government has promoted the SSSR Campaign(Ahnabada Campaign), which

stands for Save, Share, Swap, and Reuse, to bring the reuse of goods into
everyday habits, and has hosted marketplaces for exchanging or trading secondhand goods. 190 local governments (city, district, and regional) opened
marketplaces in January 2009 in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment,
the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the Ministry of Gender Equality
and Family and other related ministries. In March, local governments in the
metropolitan area also held marketplaces.

In the future, the government plans to establish and run permanent second-hand
marketplaces in each city, district, and region, and to continuously expand the
markets in each local area. Furthermore, it will actively support the culture of
sharing and action campaigns by developing an online information system for
secondhand trading by 2012.

4.6 Resource Recyclability Evaluation

In order to restrain waste generation and resource consumption, and to reduce the
burden on the environment by recycling, reusing, and retrieving energy from waste,
and then processing it in an environmentally friendly manner, every step from
production to disposal must be overseen.

To do this, the government adopted theAct on the Promotion of Saving and

Recycling of Resources in 2009, and began to implement the resource
recyclability evaluation policy. Under this policy, businesses voluntarily evaluate
their products recyclability and provide the information to the public, highlighting
their corporate image as being a responsible enterprise and advertising their
products. Moreover, the government will organize and manage the relevant
information by developing a standard evaluation model and constructing an
evaluation and maintenance system and a basic database based on evaluation
criteria by 2013.

5. Waste-to-Energy

5.1 Facility Expansion and Policy Improvement

Converting waste into energy is a powerful solution to the issue of climate change,
because it substitutes fossil fuel and restrains methane emissions. The Korean
government has adopted the Measures concerning Waste Resource and Biomass
Energy (Oct 2008) and its implementation strategy (Jul 2009), and has actively
facilitated waste-to- energy initiatives, such as the production and development of
refuse-derived fuel (RDF) generated from inflammable waste and biogas from
organic waste.

In 2007, the amounts of energy generated from inflammable waste and organic
waste were 3,840,000 tons/year and 7,850,000 tons/year, respectively. Only 1.5%
(58,000 tons/year) of inflammable waste and 2% (160,000 tons/year) of organic
waste were recycled as energy sources. However, the government is devising
policies to increase the percentages of recycled inflammable and organic waste to
47% (1,820,000 tons/year) and 26% (2,040,000 tons/year), respectively, by 2013.

Furthermore, the government will collect and use 77% of unrecovered heat
generated from large and mid-size incinerators, and 91% of usable landfill gas by
2013.

< Waste-to-Energy Goals >

To efficiently administer the policy, the government has significantly expanded the
budget, and is currently providing financial aid to 16 RDF boilers, 10 facilities that
generate biogas from organic waste, 3 facilities for converting landfill gas to energy
sources, and 1 facility for recovering heat energy from incinerators.

To maximize the waste-to-energy effect in the future, the government plans to

expand and centralize waste-to -energy facilities and to create an environmental
energy town in every district. As a part of the governments future plans, an
experimental complex with natural power and a bio-energy town equipped with a
RDF generator and boiler, a biogas converter for hazardous sewage, an energy
converter for sewage sludge, and a landfill gas processing facility are to be
constructed in one of the worlds largest metropolitan landfill sites. It is expected
that 40% of the national waste-to-energy goal will be met in this landfill site alone.
Furthermore, the government will divide the territory into 8 zones, build
metropolitan landfill sites, and construct 13 integrated environmental energy towns
around new town development sites. It is expected that 43% of waste that can be
converted to energy will be processed in these towns in the future.

In addition, the government is improving policies and reforms laws intended to

promote waste-to -energy activities. First, the enforcement regulation of the Wastes
Control Act has been changed to allow processed sewage sludge generated in
public sewage processing facilities as a fuel source in coal energy power plants, and
research service to amend the law for promoting waste-to-energy, such as the
unification of relevant regulations and standards, has been promoted.

< Integrated Energy Town Construction Plan and Facility Capacity per District >

5.2 Low-CO2 Green Village Building

Although rural farming and fishing communities and small towns have large
amounts of potential resources that can be used as energy, including inflammable
and organic wastes, forest resources, and by-products from farming and fishing,
such resources are rarely used as energy sources due to unequal distribution and an
inadequate amount of waste production. To increase the energy independence of
rural regions using by-products such as livestock emission, food waste, and
thinning logs, the government will run the Low-Carbon Green Village project. A
trial run of this project will be completed by 2012, and 600 low-carbon green
villages will be built by 2020.

6. Waste Safety Management

6.1 The Construction and Operation of the Online Waste Disposal System
(Allbaro)

In 2001, the Online Waste Disposal System (Allbaro) system, which enables
online reporting, comparing, confirming, analyzing, and ledge managing of waste
processing, from disposal to final treatment, was introduced. After a successful

test run, the system has been used by businesses generating excessive amounts of the
specified types of wastes, as well as by waste collecting, transporting, and processing
agents who have signed contracts with the businesses since 2002.

The Allbaro digitizes and processes the waste transfer certificates that circulate between
waste producer, transport agent, processing agent, and administration, and enables a user
to combine, compare, and analyze previously -compiled agent license information and
waste transfer data. The user can trace waste transfers, view the current waste processing
stage, and process the results at any time. Government administrators can oversee the
entire process of waste management in real time, and ensure that waste is transferred in a
legal and transparent manner to prevent illegal disposal.

Allbaro has been used by businesses generating specified and general waste since 2004,
and it has also been used widely by businesses generating construction waste since 2005.
Furthermore, for medical wastes, the Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID) has
been introduced since 2005, and is currently being tested. Since 2008, RFID has been
required by law, so all medical waste is being managed using RFID.

A safe and transparent management system for commercial waste has been established due
to the regulation that required the filling out of an electronic transfer certificate using the
Allbaro when dumping, transporting, or processing waste. In addition, statistical data on
waste became more useful when devising waste-related policies, because gathering
accurate statistical data became possible. As of 2008, 260,000 businesses have used the
Allbaro, and information on approximately 17,000,000 tons of waste has been digitized
and managed by the system.

6.2 Medical Waste Management

Medical waste is classified and managed according to its degree of hazardousness.

< Types of Medical Wastes >

Types
Detailed Description

In Compliance with theEpidemics Prevention

Quarantine Medical Waste

MeasuresChapter 2, Article 1: Waste produced when treating

patients who have been quarantined to protect others from

being infected

Hazardous
Biopsic Waste
Human or animal cells, tissue, organ, body parts, animal carcass,

blood, pus, and other blood products such as serum, blood plasma,

Medical

and blood components

Wastes
Pathological Waste
Culture fluid, cultivation container, bacteria cultures, test tube, slide,

cover glass, culture medium, gloves used in experiment and test

Sharp Wastes
Syringe needle, surgical needle, surgical knife, acupuncture needle,

dental needles, broken glassware for experiment

Organic, Chemical
Vaccine, Anti-cancer drug, and chemical medicines

Blood-contaminated
Blood bags, waste from hemodialysis and other waste containing

waste
enough blood to overflow thus requiring special care

General Medical
Surgical cotton, bandage, gauze, non-reusable diapers, womens

sanitary napkins, non-reusable syringe, infusion sets contaminated

with blood, body fluid, secretion, and emission

All medical waste is disposed of in special containers, but quarantine, biopsic, sharp and
liquid medical waste in particular must be stored and disposed of in special synthetic resin
containers. In line with demands from processing agents and waste producers, the
government has allowed waste with similar properties and sources to be stored together
since 2008. Consequently, solid pathological, organic, chemical, blood-contaminated, and
general medical can be disposed together in bags and cardboard containers. However,
disposing and storing biopsic or sharp medical waste with high contamination risk
together is prohibited.

6.3 Asbestos Waste Management

Since 2008, waste that contains more than 1% asbestos, regardless of its arsenic acid level,
has been classified as specific waste and is packaged twice and buried in landfill sites.
When burying asbestos waste, a specific site must be designated, and necessary
embankments or other barriers must be constructed so prevent the waste from being mixed
with other waste.

To safely process asbestos waste, the sharing of information regarding the dismantling and
demolishing of structures containing asbestos, and its proper treatment, is important.
Therefore, the government is building an information sharing system for concerned
parties, as well as actual condition inspections. Furthermore, it plans to improve the
asbestos waste processing method through research concerning the processing and
transformation of asbestos waste to energy.

6.4 Import and Export Waste Management

To implement the Basel Convention in Korea, the government has adopted the Act on the
Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
(December 1992) which stipulates that private agents and businesses must gain approval
from the Regional Environemntal Offices in advance when

importing or exporting types of wastes restricted for import and export by Basel
and OECD.

Since August 2008, the government has strengthened the restrictions of the Act on
the Control of Transboundaryt Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their
Disposal and now requires approval not only for importing and exporting
restricted waste, but all waste.

Self-processing or commissioned- processing of all imported waste has become

compulsory, and relevant transfer information must be reported on the Allbaro
system when waste is being imported, transported, or processed. Moreover, any
agent who transports, stores, or processes imported waste must abide by the
standards and processing regulations set for commercial waste, and imported waste
cannot be exported in a manner retaining the properties or condition in which it was
imported.

In the future, the government plans to strengthen collaborations between

stakeholders to prevent the illegal import and export of waste without government
approval or declaration. Furthermore, policies would introduce an export ban order
to imported and exported wastes subject only to declaration requirements if they are
different from what was declared or might cause unforeseen environmental
damages.

7. Radioactive Waste and their Environmentally Sound Management

7.1 National Management Policy for Radioactive Waste

The Republic of Korea determined its basic policy on radioactive waste

management by passing the National Measures for Radioactive Wastes Control at

th

the 249 Nuclear Power Committee on 30 Sept., 1998. This policy aims to enable
an understanding among the general public about the governments will to promote
safety in the process of selecting radioactive waste processing facility sites, and to
emphasize the transparency of the site selection process. The points, in summary,
are as follows.

As radioactive waste requires safe long-term management, the government shall be

responsible for its handling.

Through the ecologically and environmentally safe handling of radioactive waste

and radioactive waste, the risk to the general health of citizens and government
employees shall be minimized, and all handling shall adhere to international
standards regarding the safe handling of radioactive waste.

The creation of radioactive waste from nuclear power generation and radioisotope
usage shall be minimized.
The costs arising from the handling of radioactive waste shall be borne by those
who created the situation at the time of creation, so as to prevent passing the burden
on to the next generation.

Through the transparent and open management of radioactive waste, the

understanding and trust of general public shall be increased, and the management
project will be promoted in a manner that harmonizes with the needs of the local
community and contributes to local development.

rd

th

On the other hand, at the 253 Nuclear Power Committee on Dec. 17 , 2004, to
secure handling facilities for mid/low-grade radioactive waste, the National
Measures for Radioactive Wastes Control including the prioritized promotion of
handling facilities for mid/low-grade radioactive waste, the improvement of the
democratic and transparent nature of site selection, and the legislation to support
targeted areas, were amended as follows:

Mid/low-grade radioactive waste is to be managed within the nuclear plant and at

the radioisotope waste reserve facility, after which it will be permanently scrapped
at processing facilities employing the subterranean or cave method, and the
construction of single or multiple handling facilities for mid/low-grade radioactive
waste shall be promoted.

Through the expansion of the temporary storage capability of each nuclear plant,
which shall proceed until 2016, used nuclear fuel is to be managed within the
nuclear plant site, and the integral management policy, including the construction
of intermediate storage facilities, is to be decided later after the examination of the
national policy direction and the status of domestic/foreign technology
development.

7.2 Radioactive Waste Management Status

Until the completion of permanent processing facilities, mid/low-grade radioactive

waste produced by nuclear plants is to be stored and managed within each nuclear
plant site, and the waste generated from businesses, research facilities, and medical
institutions other than nuclear plants is to be stored and managed at the radioisotope
waste reserve facility. The construction size of permanent processing facilities for
mid/low -grade radioactive waste, at the first stage, is 100,000 drums (200 L /drum)
until 2012, and according to demand, is to be gradually and incrementally expanded
to the level of 800,000 drums.

< Status of the Storage and Management of Mid/Low-Grade Nuclear Waste >

(As of the end of December 2008; Unit: 200 drum)

Classification
Capacity

Current

Gori
50,200
39,35

Yeonggwang
23,300

19,56

Origin

Wolseong
9,000

7,535

15,32

Uljin
17,400

RI Disuse Facility
9,750
5,284

Misc
Korea Atomic Energy
16,018

10,83

Research Institute

Korea Nuclear Fuel Inc.

8,900
6,840

After use, nuclear fuel is to be managed at the nuclear plant site until 2016, by
extending the temporary storage capability through the installation of dense storage
zones, movement among storages, the installation of additional dry storage zones,
and so forth.

< Status on the Storage and Management of Nuclear Fuel after Use, by Nuclear
Plant >
(As of the end of December 2008; Unit: ton)

Classification
Number of
Capacity
Current

Nuclear Reactors

Gori
4
2,253
1,685

Light Water Reactor

Yeonggwang
6
2,686
1,623

Uljin
6
2,332
1,294

Heavy Water Reactor

Wolseong
4
5,980
5,481

7.3 Legal System for the Safe Management of Radioactive Waste

The national legislation for the management and safety regulation of radioactive
waste includes the Radioactive Wastes Control Act and the Atomic Energy Act. The
Radioactive Wastes Control Act reduces the risk involved in the management
radioactive waste by outlining the requirements for the safe and efficient

management of radioactive waste, to protect public safety while achieving

environmental preservation. This legislation is comprised of the establishment of a
fundamental plan for radioactive waste management, the establishment of the
Korea Radioactive waste Management Corporation (KRMC), and the installation of
the Radioactive Waste Control Fund, and details the following fundamental points
regarding radioactive waste management:

Scope of radioactive waste management and the management businesses

Operation standards for radioactive waste management facilities

Transfer of radioactive waste

Cost of radioactive waste management

The Atomic Energy Act outlines the basis and the fundamental points related to the
use, development, and safety regulation of nuclear power. This legislation includes
items regarding the nuclear power committee, the nuclear power safety committee,
the integral plan for nuclear power promotion, and the construction and operation
authorization of nuclear power facilities, and details the following fundamental
points regarding the safety of radioactive waste disuse facilities:

Authorization of the construction/operation of disuse facilities

Examination on the installation/operation of disuse facilities

Regulation on radioactive waste processing (including abandonment in the sea)

Enclosure and transportation of radioactive waste

7.4 Waste Comprehensive Information Database (WACID)

As the domestic usage of nuclear power increases, the generation and accumulation
of radioactive waste continually increases as well, and accordingly, to efficiently
manage the many types and the large amount of information regarding the safe
management of domestic radioactive waste, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety
(KINS) constructed WACID (Waste Comprehensive Information Database) system,
which began full operation in January 2005 following a period of test operation.

This system receives input information regarding the radioactive waste of nuclearrelated businesses on a quarterly basis, and after data verification, outputs various
reports, which are made available to the general public through the internet.
Through the WACID system, the efficiency of regular reports on the management
status of each radioactive waste-generating facility is improved, and through the
individual database systems connected to the internet, the integral management of
all radioactive waste information generated by nuclear-use facilities so far is
enabled.

As a huge amount of radioactive waste information is handled, WACID includes a

general system DB and 8 specific radioactive waste DBs (mid/low-grade waste,
spent nuclear fuel, radioactive materials, etc.) to improve system operation
efficiency.

The WACID system makes a significant contribution to the national safety

management level of radioactive waste by supporting the establishment of national
policies on radioactive waste management, through the analysis and prediction of
the generation/storage flow of radioactive waste and the promotion of relevant
technology development, and also plays a big role in the realization of the five
principles of nuclear safety regulation (independence, openness, clarity, efficiency,
and reliability) by disclosing the relevant essential information to the general
public.