VietNamNet Bridge – Thang Long Environmental Service Joint Stock Company has opened a VND160 billion (US$7.6 million) waste treatment plant in Ha Noi's outlying district of Son Tay that uses advanced incineration technology to process 400 tonnes of garbage per day.

A typical waste depot in Nhi Khe ward, Ha Noi. The city generates about 5,000 tonnes of waste each day, but is only able to handle around 4,000-4,500 tonnes by the traditional methods of burning and dumping.

The city generates about 5,000 tonnes of waste each day, but is only able to handle around 4,000-4,500 tonnes by the traditional methods of burning and dumping. City officials estimate that more than 16,000 tonnes of solid waste from households, industrial parks, construction sites and hospitals will need to be treated daily by 2030.

Ha Noi needs about VND11 trillion (US$522.3 million) to implement its solid waste treatment plan, under which 17 solid waste treatment facilities have been zoned, including eight existing facilities.

Energy-saving and environmentally friendly technology will be prioritised, officials said. Additionally, the city will enhance communication campaigns to raise public awareness about environmental protection and the need to classify solid waste at home.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Vu Hong Khanh stressed the need to apply scientific and technological innovations to environmental protection, particularly waste treatment, at the plant's inauguration ceremony on Saturday. He hailed Thang Long as the first scientific enterprise operating in the field and added that the city hoped more sectors would get involved. The company has won several technology innovation prizes, including an award from the World Intellectual Property Organisation for a research project on waste incineration.

Source: VNS