VietNamNet Bridge – Every day, at least 3000 tons of waste is carried to the Da Phuoc waste area, invested by VWS Company, for treatment. Therefore, the decision by the investor to import 10,000 tons of scraps from the US has surprised many people.
Representative from VWS said that it wants to import scraps to test the waste classification and treatment line. The problem, according to VWS, is that HCM City still cannot provide the waste which can meet VWS’ requirements: the waste should be classified into two kinds – organic and inorganic waste. If VWS can have the two kinds of waste in separation, it would put the waste into the treatment line for further selection and find out recycle products.

VWS refuse Vietnam’s waste, wants US waste

The company has asked for the permission to import scrap papers, carton paper, plastic packs which have not been cut, and some unclassified products. And a question has been raised that why VWS does not plan to use domestic waste.

Meanwhile, according to the HCM City Department for Natural Resources and the Environment, under the current regulations, plastic bags containing drinks and the plastic pieces must be cut into the pieces with the size of no more than 5 cm to be eligible for import. Besides, the scraps also must be classified before they are imported.

However, the department still has proposed the city’s authorities to allow VWS to import the 10,000 tons of scraps, reasoning that VWS only imports scraps in a certain amount, while it will not import this kind of scraps regularly. The department has also emphasized that VWS imports scraps just to test the waste classification factory.

David Duong, General Director of VWS, told Tien phong that in the immediate time, in order to check and take over the installed machines, the company needs to import mixed waste to give the waste classification factory a trial run. Papers, for example, will be classified into carton paper, newsprint, or office paper.

David Duong has also said that if the company cannot get the waste which can meet the requirements for the factory to classify, the company may propose the city’s authorities to pay the interests for the factory’s investment capital of over 10 million dollars.

Unclassified scraps must not be imported

Meanwhile, state management agencies have voiced the same opinion that the scraps from foreign sources must meet the requirements stipulated in legal documents, in order to get the permission to be imported to Vietnam.

The representative from the HCM City Customs Agency said that the scrap imports which do not go in accordance with the detailed descriptions by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) will be rejected by customs agencies.

The HCM City Customs Agency has affirmed that mixed unclassified scraps are not allowed to be imported to Vietnam.

MONRE, which the HCM City Department for Natural Resources and the Environment consult with in this case emphasized that waste must not be imported to Vietnam under any forms. The ministry has also affirmed that the scrap imports must meet the requirements on environment protection stipulated in the 2005 Environment Protection Law. They must be listed as the scraps allowed to be imported and must meet some other requirements.

Besides the above said requirements, paper and plastic scrap imports also have to bear other national technical standards applied to paper and plastics scrap imports.

The ministry has also emphasized that the ministry does not have the power to license the import of the scraps which are not the scraps allowed to be imported.

The HCM City People’s Committee has allowed VWS to import 10,000 tons of plastic and paper scraps, provided that the scraps can meet the requirements.

TP