Analysis of Daily Tourism-related Waste Generation in Jeju Island, South Korea

Abstract

This study examines the amount of waste generated by tourists at popular tourist destinations through the case of Jeju Special Self-governing Province (Jeju) in South Korea. First, the population of the local residents and that of inbound tourists and their length of stay were considered in the computation of municipal waste generation in Jeju to differentiate the amount of municipal waste generated by local residents and that by tourists. Next, to calculate the amount of waste generated by tourism-related activities and tourists on a daily basis (kg/person/day), this study chose major sources of tourism waste in the marine and air transport sectors (ferry and port, airline and airport, car rental and bus charters), wholesale and retail sectors (duty-free shops), lodging and restaurant industries (lodgings and in-house facilities and restaurants), and tourism industry (tourist attractions) and compiled the data on commercial waste generation from tourist sites through written surveys and field research. When the waste generated by tourists was considered in the municipal waste generated per capita in Jeju (1.77 kg/person/day), the amount generated by the residents of Jeju was found to be 1.42 kg/person/day, and approximately 19.5% of the total municipal waste originated from tourists. Moreover, daily tourism-related commercial waste generation per person was calculated to be 0.66 kg/person/day on average, with one tourist generating 1.01 kg/person/ day of tourism waste when assuming that an average tourist visits 1.3 tourist attractions per day. The study’s findings reveal the need to enforce strict measures for businesses that generate large amounts of waste, as well as enforcing waste discharge reporting and limiting the type of businesses that are allowed to take their waste to designated waste collection points. The results of this study can be used as a base data for introducing green taxes that apply the “polluter pays” principle to individual emitters. Furthermore, the analysis results provided a basis for designing efficient policies and strategies for improving waste treatment systems and reducing waste generation at popular tourist destinations.