A rubbish dump in Phu Quoc Island’s An Thoi Town is severely over capacity and polluting the surrounding neighbourhood.

The overloaded dumping site on Phu Quoc Island

The dumping site in An Thoi covers five hectares and is located 100 metres away from the residential area and the roads. Waste has not been treated for 20 years. As nothing has been done to control the smell and prevent waste water leak to the ground, the site was listed as one of the most polluted locations by the local Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Rubbish continues to be dumped there. Last year, rubbish from Duong Dong Town was also brought to the dumping site in An Thoi, further overloading the site.

Local people hire excavators to bury the rubbish on their own

Families living near the dumping site have to hire excavators to bury the rubbish themselves as the authorities seem have totally ignored the problem. Before meal times, they have to spray pesticide around the house to keep the flies away.

Four families who are often collect scrap from the site sell tens of tonnes of recycled waste every month but it is a small amount compared to the huge amount of rubbish being dumped each day. The rubbish piles are as high as the trees and spill over the streets.

Dtinews/Lao Dong