Up to 80 percent of domestic waste is treated by landfill

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) said that up to 80 percent of 15 million tons of domestic waste are treated by landfill, while only 20 percent are incinerated or recycled each year.

Landfills are not an effective waste treatment solution because they pollute the soil, water and air. They also have a negative impact on tourism and the national economy, especially the marine environment. 

A representative of EuroCham said that Vietnam’s economy has been growing in an impressive way, but the environmental index is very low. A circular economy is what Vietnam should strive for while waste recycling will help generate jobs and ease pollution.

The representative went on to say that Vietnam has many regulations related to environmental protection, but the enforcement of the regulations remains weak. The fact that the government still protects domestic coal producers will worsen pollution.

To ease pollution, Vietnam needs to reduce emissions by gradually shifting to electric vehicles instead of petrol and oil vehicles in the next five years.

Jean Pierre Dawance from Nestle Vietnam said there is no landfill at Nestle. Food waste is partially used to make animal feed, while plastic waste is recycled for use. Some kinds of packages are recycled to use as construction materials, while other kinds of waste are turned into fertilizer. The unrecycled waste is treated by environmental service companies.

Dawance said in order to reduce the volume of waste, it is necessary to first reduce the input waste. At Nestle Vietnam, the bags that contain coffee beans are reused to carry coffee from the Central Highlands to the factory. The company is working on a kind of packaging which doesn’t harm the environment but can preserve the high quality of products.

The treatment cost will be high, but in exchange for this, Nestle will be able to improve its brand value and bring benefits to society.

Bruno Fux of INSEE Ecocycle Vietnam also said landfills must not be a sustainable solution. In Switzerland, it costs VND23 trillion to treat one landfill for more than 10 years.

INSEE Ecocycle Vietnam is a well known brand which has safely treated 1 million tons of waste in the last 10 years of operation.

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