New technologies needed to improve waste treatment: seminar
The application of new waste treatment technologies is now a national urgent requirement amidst the mounting waste volume and shortcomings of current disposal methods, heard a seminar held in Hanoi on December 21.
Workers sort plastic waste for recycling in Lao Cai province (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The application of new waste treatmenttechnologies is now a national urgent requirement amidst the mounting wastevolume and shortcomings of current disposal methods, heard a seminar held inHanoi on December 21.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources andEnvironment Vo Tuan Nhan said that the fast growth of the economy andpopulation have resulted in a steep increase in solid waste.
According to reports from provinces and cities nationwide,urban areas generate about 38,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, while ruralareas produce another 32,000 tonnes, with only 85 percent and 40-55 percent ofwaste collected, respectively.
In many remote areas, the collection andtreatment of solid waste is very difficult. Most waste is directly dumped intothe environment or in makeshift landfills that do not meet environmentalprotection standards.
The transport of solid waste is also facingobstacles as landfills are located far away from residential areas, and the currentenvironmental fees collected from households are not enough to cover wastecollection and transport.
While qualified landfills have just been builtin some provinces with larger budgets, treatment facilities in rural areas andlow-income localities have yet to meet environmental standards.
Notably, residents in many places have objectedto the construction of waste treatment plants as they fear negative impactslike water and air pollution, participants at the seminar said.
The Ministry of Science and Technology said thatthere is an urgent need for new technologies that reduce the burden of wasteburial to help save land resources.
The three main waste treatment methods inVietnam are burial, microbiological fertiliser production, and burning. Only 30percent of existing landfills meet green standards, while most of the nearly300 incinerators nationwide are small-scale. There are only about 30 facilitiesproducing organic fertilisers from waste at present.
In some areas, residents have been instructed todispose waste by using biogas digesters, but this activity is still limited.Meanwhile, imported technologies do not suit Vietnam’s situation due todifferent lifestyle and climate conditions, according to the workshop.
Experts said the country should perfect existingtechnologies, especially those converting waste into energy, to limit thecreation of new landfills.–VNA
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Workers sort plastic waste for recycling in Lao Cai province (Photo: VNA) 
