Jeju, the world's treasure island, is struggling with garbage. Instead of beautiful ascents, garbage mountains piled up, and the coast was occupied by plastic cups. News 1 Jeju headquarters chose 'Environment' as Jeju's first value to strive for throughout the year. It delivers various environmental issues with the voice of the field and introduces people who protect and love nature in them. 'Kochi,' a Jeju word meaning 'together,' means to make a green Jeju with the meaning of 'value.'
“I don't take my waste paper, so there's no way to stack it up. Even if the collector comes in once, take the container so that it doesn't overflow. ”
On the 14th, the abandoned container of an apartment in Ildo 2-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju, was filled with no space for feet. It was a 'waste heap,' as it was covered by the window. Like this, there are about 20 apartments in Jeju that are being abolished by private companies. Most of them are in a similar situation.
In 2018, China's ban on imports of recycled waste paper led to the oversupply of waste paper on Jeju Island.
According to the industry, the price of waste paper in Jeju has fallen from 100 won per kilogram in 2018 to 20 won, the lowest level in the country. With the vicious cycle of falling waste prices and oversupply, Jeju local companies are reluctant to collect waste papers, and eventually abolished abolitions.
3000 tons of waste paper… When will it stop accumulating?
In various parts of Jeju City, waste paper began to accumulate before and after the last New Year holidays. Jeju, which left most of its collections to private companies, finally settled the collection of waste papers.
The Jeju Environmental Facility Management Office, a public treatment facility operated by the city of Jeju, has no way to treat them, so all of the scrapped vehicles are gathered as a consignment company in North-East East.
The news 1 Jeju headquarters confirmed the site on the morning of the 14th, and the yard about 8264㎡ was filled with a pile of waste paper that soared high.
The huge "waste tower" of 3,000 tons was only two or three stories high. In the back, the collection vehicles that had been lined up continuously poured out the waste papers.
The company signed a contract with Jeju City this year to take out the abolition, but it did not hide its embarrassment.
Initially, the maximum volume was expected to be 1000 tons per month, but the abolition of the abolition began and near 100 tons per day.
President Jeong Soo-won, 58, said, “The paper mill in Jeju Island is saturated, and there is a limit to the amount of materials that can be sent to other regions.”
The Environmental Management Center called it a "Trash Mountain"
The situation was not too different from the Bonggae-dong Jeju Environmental Facility Management Office, a public treatment facility in Jeju City. It is temporarily storing about 470 tons of waste papers that were urgently collected after the landslide.
In addition, waste wood and waste vinyl that have not been treated for a long time are being piled up. The long pile of waste wood reminds us of the 'mountain of trash,' which is much higher than the warehouse next door.
As of the end of October last year, it was about 23,000 tons, which would take three years to burn all of them.
Waste plastics have been blocked since August last year, and all goods entering the station have been piled up.
It is estimated to be more than 1000 tons, which is being compressed and stored in the front yard of the station.
A Jeju Island official said, “As a result of falling prices and disposal shortages, we are experiencing a nationwide phenomenon as well as Jeju, as exports to China are blocked. Other recycling wastes are also difficult to consume in the province, so we are looking for ways to dispose of them in other regions."