The Mapo Resource Circulation Network warmly welcomes the Korean government’s recent decision to correct the national recycling statistics by excluding waste incineration from the recycling rate. On October 22, the government announced that it would end the long-standing practice of counting heat energy recovered from waste incineration in cement kilns as part of the national recycling rate. We applaud this long-overdue step to align Korea’s waste management statistics with international standards and the OECD’s basic principle that “incineration is not recycling.”
As of 2022, Korea reported the highest recycling rate among OECD member countries—approximately 57%. However, if “thermal recycling,” or energy recovery from waste incineration, is excluded, the actual recycling rate drops by more than ten percentage points. Most OECD countries have long since stopped including incineration in their recycling statistics. Consequently, Korea’s claim to be a “recycling leader” has often been criticized as a form of greenwashing. The government’s new commitment to rectify this misrepresentation marks a welcome step toward a genuine circular economy.
There is no glory in being number one for the wrong reasons.
Now is the time for Korea to become a true model nation for recycling and a global leader in the circular economy.
However, several key considerations remain. While Korea has focused heavily on achieving the highest recycling rate, the international community has already moved toward a broader framework—the circular economy and zero waste. The world is now emphasizing waste prevention at the production stage by reducing plastic production. The United Nations is also spearheading efforts toward a Global Plastics Treaty and having designated March 30 as the International Day of Zero Waste since 2022. We are living in the era of Zero Waste.
Since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration, Korea has taken important steps such as establishing the Ministry of Climate and Energy and announcing a national roadmap to reduce plastic waste. Yet, at the same time, the government is planning to construct large-scale incineration facilities ahead of landfill closures. Such expansion risks undermining recycling progress, slowing the transition to a circular economy, and obstructing carbon neutrality. The past two decades of international experience have made one fact clear: incineration cannot be the future of waste management.
The Mapo Resource Circulation Network calls on the Korean government to seize this opportunity—to correct the recycling index, to move away from the mistaken path of incineration expansion, and to boldly lead the nation toward the true path of Zero Waste.
