HCM City (VNS/VNA) - HCM City is drawing up a master plan on solidwaste management and treatment for the next five years, aiming to have 100 percentof its domestic solid waste to be collected and treated and at least 80 percentof solid household waste classified at source.

The master plan will help ensure the city’s sustainable development, keep theenvironment clean, and use the available land fund effectively by developing along-term strategy for solid waste management.

Because of the city's strong socio-economic development, the amount of solid wastegenerated has been constantly increasing.

The city generates 9,000-9,500 tonnes of domestic solid waste daily. Of that,about 6,500 tonnes or 69 percent is buried daily, while 2,900 tonnes or 31 percentis recycled or burned to generate electricity each day.

By 2025, the city will take steps to reduce the volume of buried waste, withthe goal of burying 2,600 tonnes of waste per day.

It targets having at least 80 percent of total domestic solid waste in urbanareas to be recycled for compost fertiliser or burned for electricity.

It will also collect and treat 100 percent of hazardous and non-hazardous solidindustrial waste. And, all non-hazardous and hazardous medical solid wastegenerated by medical establishments and hospitals will be classified at source,collected and treated.

About 90 percent of construction waste will be collected and treated, of which60 percent will be recovered for reuse or recycling.

Nearly 100 percent of sludge generated from water supply and drainage systems,wastewater treatment systems, and the dredging of canals will be collected andtreated to ensure environmental sanitation.

The plan calls for solutions to sort, collect, transport, recycle and treat alltypes of solid waste generated in the city. It also includes measures to boostsolid waste classification at source and build more waste treatment facilities.

The city is taking steps to adopt advanced waste-treatment technologies. Itwill invest in solid waste treatment with advanced technologies that saveenergy and protect the environment, and seek recycling technology that makesrecycled products suited to the consumption habits of each locality.

The city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment is also working withother departments and agencies to encourage waste treatment facilities toswitch to waste-to-energy technologies, speed up investment in planned wastetreatment projects, and select bidders for new waste treatment projects.

Achievements

Le Van Thinh, Secretary of Binh Tan district’s Party Committee, said thepollution situation as well as public awareness about environmental protectionin the district have improved.

More than 11,460 additional dustbins were installed at public sites after atwo-year implementation of a city-wide campaign that encouraged the public notto throw waste in canals and public spaces.

Of the number, 11,140 dustbins worth 8 billion VND (347,000 USD) were donatedby local businesses and residents.

Over the last two years, the district removed most of the pollution “blackspots”, collected 424 tonnes of waste, planted 120 additional trees along theriver and canal banks, and turned 1,500sq.m vacant land areas into greenspaces.

The “management of canals” model helped the district to be more proactive indredging canals to improve the drainage system.

Nearly all 120,381 local households and 100 percent of waste owners in thedistrict have agreed to deposit domestic waste in appropriate places and notthrow waste in canals.

About 2,460 surveillance cameras were installed to enhance inspections, andpromptly detect and handle littering in inappropriate places.

The district discovered nearly 300 violations and imposed fines totalling 612million VND (26,500 USD), and handed out reminders to more than 400 other casesin the last two years.

To improve the quality of life, the district has also developed green areas andupgraded parks, and installed 130 outdoor sport equipment in 28 parks forrecreational activities.

Challenges

According to the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, theclassification of household solid waste at source has generally been workingwell, but not at all places, causing difficulties for waste treatmentfacilities.

The city has no large-scale recycling plant, so solid waste has to be sortedand treated at small-scale 10 recycling plants and 1,800 household facilities.

The city has two main treatment complexes, the 614-ha Da Phuoc Waste TreatmentComplex in Binh Chanh district and the 687-ha Phuoc Hiep plant in Cu Chi district.

The city has closed two landfill sites in an effort to reduce the burial ofsolid waste, including the 25-ha Go Cat in Binh Tan District and the 45-ha DongThanh in Hoc Mon district.

The Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex receives and treats more than 5,000 tonnesof waste a day, with most of it now buried. It is scheduled to be closed in2024 because it has exceeded its designed capacity.

Ninety percent of the Da Phuoc landfill site is at risk of flooding, accordingto research done by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This causes environmentalpollution at the landfill and pollutant dispersion to surrounding areas.

Climate change and natural disasters like storms and floods also affectwaste-treatment management work, as well as the lifespan and productivity ofequipment.

The city needs to include solutions for climate change adaptation in its solidwaste management and treatment master plan, experts said. It also needs furtherinvestment in waste collection, transport and treatment systems to keep pacewith the city's rapid economic growth./.