Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police to crack down on illegal fine dust emissions by companies in the province from November 13 to 24

The crackdown includes construction sites that generate large amounts of fugitive dust, businesses whose emissions directly affect the lives of residents (such as businesses near urban centers that see frequent complaints), facilities that emit large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that affect the secondary generation of ultrafine dust, and facilities that use solid recovered fuels (SRFs).

The main focus of the crackdown is the failure to apply dust-suppression facilities and measures at construction sites, such as tire-washing facilities as well as dustproof barriers and dust covers. In particular, in order to suppress the generation of ‘road dust’, a key source of such emissions in the province, emphasis will be placed on preventing vehicles entering and leaving construction sites from spilling detritus onto external roads.

In the case of air emission facilities, pollutants stemming from abnormal operations, such as the failure to apply or the damaging of air pollution-control facilities, as well as the illegal incineration of workplace waste, will be subject to inspection.

According to the Clean Air Conservation Act, a fine of up to KRW 3 million can be imposed for failure to report an operation that generates fugitive dust or implement control measures. In addition, those who operate unauthorized air emission facilities may be subject to imprisonment for up to seven years or a fine of up to KRW 100 million, while those who improperly operate air pollution-control facilities may be subject to imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to KRW 50 million.

“Before December, when the seasonal fine dust control system is implemented, we will contribute to the realization of a comfortable Gyeonggi Province by doing our utmost to prevent dust emissions such as soil and sand detritus from affecting roads, which is a major source of fugitive dust in Gyeonggi Province,” said Hong Eun-gi, Commissioner of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police accepts reports of illegal activities from members of the public through their website (www.gg.go.kr/gg_special_cop) or via the Gyeonggi-do Call Center (031-120).