Technology for high-level-waste disposal employing a multibarrier concept using engineered and natural barrier in stable bedrock at 300–1,000 m depth is being commercialized as a safe, long-term isolation method for high-level waste, including spent nuclear fuel. Managing heat generated from waste is important for improving disposal efficiency; thus, research on efficient heat management is required. In this study, thermal management methods to maximize disposal efficiency in terms of the disposal area required were developed. They efficiently use the land in an environment, such as Korea, where the land area is small and the amount of waste is large. The thermal effects of engineered barriers and natural barriers in a high-level waste disposal repository were analyzed. The research status of thermal management for the main bedrocks of the repository, such as crystalline, clay, salt, and other rocks, were reviewed. Based on a characteristics analysis of various heat management approaches, the spent nuclear fuel cooling time, buffer bentonite thermal conductivity, and disposal container size were chosen as efficient heat management methods applicable in Korea. For each method, thermal analyses of the disposal repository were performed. Based on the results, the disposal efficiency was evaluated preliminarily. Necessary future research is suggested.

Waste management in Jeju Province, Korea, has recently emerged as an urgent problem. The increasing waste discharge requires more landfills but, since it is an island, the available land is restricted. Accordingly, an efficient waste management urgently requires environmentally sustainable policies. In this article, the waste discharge characteristics (such as the amount of waste, its composition, etc.) of Jeju Province have been compared with those in the rest of Korea. The current industrial waste management of two cities on the Island, Jeju City and Seogwipo City, has been also analyzed to suggest policies for an efficient management. The local government’s endeavor to enhance environmental awareness of the community has been known to reduce the private cost of policy compliance, and have individuals recognize the results of their policy compliance. Policies to achieve the above are then proposed.

최근 제주지역에서의 폐기물관리문제가 가장 심각한 지역현안중 하나로 부각되고 있다. 제주지역 내에서 폐기물관리에서 부각되고 있는 대표적 사안들은 페기물 배출량의 급격한 증가, 빨라지는 매립장 만적현상 등으로 나타나고 있다. 사업장폐기물 발생의 지속적 증가로 인해 야기되는 폐기물 매립장의 조기 만적 문제를 해결하기 위해서는 효율적 폐기물 관리정책이 긴요하다고 판단되어 지는 시점이다. 본 연구에서는 제주특별자치도내에서 배출되는 폐기물의 배출 특성과 전국평균치와 제주도간 폐기물 발생현황을 비교한다. 또한, 두 행정시인 제주시와 서귀포시에서 배출되는 사업장폐기물을 중심으로 폐기물 배출량과 처리량에 대한 현황분석과 이를 통한 효율적 폐기물 관리방안에 대한 논의를 한다. 폐기물관리의 효율성은 공공부문의 노력과 민간부문과의 협업을 통해 높아질 수 있다. 공공부문측면에서 볼 때 해당 지자체 공무원들로 하여금 강력하고 효과적인 폐기물감축을 위해 폐기물 배출자에 대한 관리와 가이드라인 제시를 할 수 있는 실재적 권한을 부여해야 할 필요성이 있다. 민간부문과의 협업측면에서는 폐기물총량제의 일환인 폐기물 매립권 거래제(Landfill Trade)를 생각해 볼 수 있다. 다시 말해, 시장 기구를 통해 가격으로 하여금 일정수준이상을 넘어서는 매립의 초과수요를 해소 할 수 있도록 하여 폐기물매립에 대한 최적의 효율을 달성 할 수 있도록 하는 것이다.

Considering possibility of public health risk and environmental hazards, it is important to manage the disposal of“medical waste” properly. Although Korean government has made many efforts to provide safe medical waste managementsystem, some institutional problems are still existing and need to be improved. We focused on medical waste managementin emergency situations. Currently, the most common method of medical waste disposal is off-site incineration, whichaccounts for approximately 99.6% of total waste. However, in case some incineration facilities stopped unexpectedlybecause of fire, strike, breakdown, etc., inappropriate management of the medical waste has been of importantenvironmental concern due to potential secondary infection. This paper presents current limitations of resignment-relatedregulation and suggests improvement methods for effective and safe treatment of the medical waste, especially inemergency situations.