Suwon to Build New Resource Recovery Facility as 'Resident-Friendly Facility'...Completion Planned for 2032

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] The newly constructed Suwon Resource Recovery Facility will be built as a 'resident-friendly resource recovery facility' with all waste treatment equipment placed underground, while the upper level will feature amenity facilities including a swimming pool and indoor sports facilities that reflect residents' preferences.

Suwon Special City announced on the 17th that it had recently added these plans and modified the design of the ongoing 'preliminary survey on resource recovery facility relocation site selection.'

The added tasks to the survey include △multiplex facility planning for underground placement of waste treatment equipment and creation of upper-level space △establishment of plans for amenity facilities such as a multipurpose gymnasium △expanded consultation with subject-matter experts by field.

Due to the added tasks, the city extended the originally scheduled survey completion date from March this year to December, a nine-month delay.

The city is carefully selecting candidate sites to minimize confusion and conflict resulting from the resource recovery facility relocation. Additionally, the city plans to expand tangible benefits to increase public consensus and change the facility name through public recruitment to encompass characteristics such as environmental friendliness, amenities, and safety.

As part of the awareness improvement plan, the city released a conceptual rendering reflecting the 'resident-friendly resource recovery facility' concept.

The conceptual rendering, excluding the site location and presented as an idea, includes a gymnasium, fountain and water play area, outdoor sports facilities, parks and walking trails above the fully underground equipment. The types and scale of amenity facilities will be determined by reflecting public opinion through future recruitment and surveys.

The Suwon Resource Recovery Facility relocation project involves construction of a new facility to replace the existing facility in Yeongtong 1-dong, Yeongtong-gu. The total project cost is estimated at approximately 400 billion won depending on the site location.

After three recruitment attempts for candidate relocation sites in 2023 came to nothing, the city faced difficulties in selecting alternative sites and began its own site discovery efforts by ordering a preliminary survey in March last year.

Upon completion of the survey, the city plans to establish a site selection committee with participation of resident representatives from candidate locations and complete the new resource recovery facility in 2032 after undergoing feasibility studies, public hearings, and strategic environmental impact assessments.

Meanwhile, the city is implementing a separate project to improve the aging existing facility. This is part of efforts to prevent a waste crisis aligned with the 'ban on direct landfill of garbage' measure to take effect in January next year, with plans to finalize the business operator in the first half of this year and complete construction in the first half of 2028.

A city official stated, "This design modification of the survey has significance in taking the first step toward a 'resource recovery facility that benefits citizens,'" and added, "We will find the optimal site and complete the safest facility based on the two principles of 'minimizing environmental impact' and 'maximizing citizen benefits.'"