The climate crisis and waste problems are cited as the most pressing and urgent issues for citizens around the globe, including in South Korea, and calls for solutions. Solving these challenges presents a path towards a sustainable and carbon-neutral future.

 Under the carbon-neutral era, there is a need to explore sustainable waste management solutions by developing waste-to-energy technologies and overcoming Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY) attitudes. Furthermore, the cooperation between the government, private companies, research institutes, civil society, and other members of society is needed; and the waste-to-energy technologies could play an important role to catalyze this cooperation.