VietNamNet Bridge – The People's Committee of HCM City has ordered 24 sub-standard garbage collection points to be scrapped, claiming they pollute the city and disturb residents' daily lives.

The request is expected to be completed by September, said deputy chairman of the committee Nguyen Huu Tin at a People's Council meeting on Sunday.

The garbage collection points were often overloaded and smelled unpleasant, according to local residents.

A local resident of Binh Thanh District said she and her neighbours were miserable because of the stink caused by waste water leaked from a nearby garbage collection point.

Waste would float in the streets when it rained, she added.

"Poor management is to blame for the situation," said Tin.

Residents often complained to authorities, but received no response and the situation continued, he said.

Statistics show the city now has nearly 50 garbage collection points, however only eight of these are up to standard.

Therefore, Tin called on the city's Natural Resources and Environment Department to improve the quality of another 13 garbage collection points by November 30.

The remaining garbage collection points must be upgraded to meet standards of environmental protection by 2015, he said.

Director of the city Natural Resources and Environment Department Dao Anh Kiet said almost all garbage collection points were smaller than 500 square metres – the minimum area required for such a facility, he said.

Rapid urbanisation placing greater strain on land funds was believed to be the main reason, he added.

The department had worked with the district's administration to allocate more land area for expanding garbage collection points, he said.

In the long term, the department hoped to build garbage collection points with advanced technologies, he said.

About 6,600 tonnes of household waste are discharged in the city each day.

Source: VNS