By Kim Tae-jong
Maritime dumping firms, specializing in disposing of waste in waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula, have suspended their operations in protest of the government’s ban beginning next year on the dumping of garbage in the ocean.
Waste products such as sediment from sewage sludge, waste water and excrement have been accumulated on reservoirs without being properly disposed of. Concerns are growing that their refusal to dispose of the waste could trigger a “waste chaos” around the Chuseok holiday starting this weekend.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery announced on Aug. 23 that the revised law to ban maritime dumping will come into effect next year, as a measure to prevent ocean pollution and damage to the maritime ecosystem.
According to the ministry, the country has dumped nearly 80 million tons over the past 10 years, and in 2010 alone, more than 4.5 million tons.
Korea is the only nation that still offloads waste in the ocean among the 86 members of the London Convention.
In response, however, 19 maritime dumping firms decided to stop taking and dumping garbage from last week, calling for the government to withdraw the plan.
“We also think maritime dumping should be stopped. But it’s so obvious that it’s not the right time,” said Lee Hee-do, an official from the Union of Maritime Dumping Firms.
He said the country is not yet ready as it has not sufficiently expanded its waste disposal capacity on land and such measures should be done gradually so that related businesses can adjust to the change.
“The government boosted the business in the past, and then now they all of sudden kick us out of business,” he said.
The firms’ boycott is expected to deal a blow to current waste management as they dump 1.29 million tons of waste annually, accounting for 32 percent of wastes dumped into the ocean.
Regarding the suspension, state agencies said they are seeking a solution. Potential problems were downplayed.
“It can be an issue only temporarily because we’ll have to stop maritime dumping anyway from next year,” said Cho Seok-hun, an official from the Ministry of Environment. “We’re now storing waste properly or will have other disposal firms process the waste.”
Since 2006, the central government has encouraged local governments to come up with measures to cope with the ban of maritime dumping and many of them are equipped with disposal facilities that can replace maritime dumping, he said.