In a significant ruling, the Seoul High Court has again ruled against the city's plans for a new waste incineration facility in Mapo, rejecting an appeal by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. This appeal followed a lawsuit filed by residents of Mapo, who challenged the city's decision to construct a new facility capable of processing 1,000 tons of waste per day near the existing 750-ton facility. The court maintained that the decision-making process lacked sufficient resident participation and violated procedural fairness, thus reaffirming the lower court's decision.

The city's plans, which aimed to address the ban on direct disposal of municipal waste that took effect on January 1, 2023, have now been cast into doubt. With the current public facilities in Seoul unable to handle daily waste generation, the city had intended to replace the existing facility with a new enhanced one. However, the local residents argued that they were not adequately consulted and claimed that the plan was imposed on them without their involvement, leading to the legal disputes.

In the aftermath of the ruling, city officials expressed concern that the court's decision does not adequately reflect the challenges posed by the new waste disposal regulations, signaling potential conflicts between urban planning and community interests. With the city planning to review the court's decision to consider further legal actions, including a possible appeal to the Supreme Court, the future of the proposed facility remains uncertain amid strong local opposition and procedural issues identified by the courts.