VietNamNet Bridge - Hanoi needs investment to apply new comprehensive measures to sort waste at source, organize waste collection, and treat waste with modern technologies.

According to the Hanoi Construction Planning Institute, about 5,400 tons of domestic solid waste is produced daily in Hanoi, including 3,200 tons in inner city districts and towns, and the remaining in suburb areas. However, with current treatment capacity, only 3,900 tons (72 percent) is collected and carried to concentrated waste treatment complexes.

Le Van Duc, director of the Hanoi Construction Department, said only in four central districts, 100 percent of solid waste is collected and treated. 

Meanwhile, in other inner city districts, the figure is just 80-85 percent, and is even lower in the suburbs - 60-70 percent.

In 18 districts of Hanoi, there are 304 places where 65,000 tons of waste have been left untreated. Litter is dropped every day into village alleys, ponds and lakes.

Hanoi needs investment to apply new comprehensive measures to sort waste at source, organize waste collection, and treat waste with modern technologies.

Deputy director of Urenco (the Hanoi Urban Environment Company) Nguyen Xuan Huynh complained that when implementing the pilot project on collecting waste with motor vehicles, 10 percent of households in the central areas did not put waste into closed bags and many others threw waste on pavements.

Of the 3,900 tons of solid waste treated daily, 3,670 tons, or 95 percent, is dumped. This clearly is not a good solution because it not only needs large land fund, but it costs a lot of money and causes serious problems to the air, surface and underground water.

According to Urenco, Hanoi has two large-scale waste treatment complexes – Nam Son in Soc Son district and Xuan Son in Son Tay Town, and some smaller-scale complexes in other suburban areas. However, most of the waste carried to Nam Son and Xuan Son is buried.

The city also has two waste processing plants – Cau Dien and Seraphin Son Tay. However, the two plants focus on processing solid waste, so they can only handle a small volume of daily waste.

The waste dumping has put pressure on infrastructure and increased the environmental treatment costs. Therefore, Hanoi now must use modern treatment methods.

JICA once helped Hanoi with the project on sorting waste at sources. However, it ‘died young’ because Hanoians do not have the habit of classifying waste.

Huynh said Urenco plans to put a thermal incinerator using Japanese technology into operation by December 2016. However, the plant only treats hazardous waste.

Ha Noi Moi