Experience in waste classification at source in Nam Sach

Clearly effective

Since May 1, 2022, Nam Sach has implemented waste classification at source throughout the district. At that time, the application of waste classification at source according to the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 was still new. Technical guidance documents on waste classification had not been issued. There was no pilot model or locality nationwide implementing waste classification at the commune or district level, only stopping at the pilot stage in a residential area or a number of households.

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Nam Sach district, before implementing waste classification at source, domestic waste in the district was transported to landfills of villages in very large quantities. Meanwhile, most of the landfills in the district were filled, leading to illegal dumping of waste from one locality to another. Burning waste at landfills often occurs, causing environmental pollution. Faced with this situation, to ensure environmental sanitation, on March 22, 2022, the Standing Committee of Nam Sach District Party Committee issued Resolution No. 13-NQ/HU on classification, collection and treatment of domestic solid waste. The District People's Committee also issued a plan to classify, collect and treat domestic solid waste at source in the entire district from May 1, 2022.

Before implementation, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment advised the District People's Committee to organize many training sessions on how to classify domestic solid waste. The district issued dozens of documents directing and guiding the implementation, publishing and printing more than 40,000 copies of the "Handbook on waste classification at source" to distribute to households, schools, agencies and units in the district.

According to the assessment of the People's Committee of Nam Sach district, after nearly 2 years of implementing waste classification at source, people agreed to support. People's awareness of waste classification has clearly changed. Waste classification has gradually become routine. The collection of inorganic waste from households after classification to transfer points is well implemented by service cooperatives and collection teams, closely coordinating with businesses to promptly transfer and treat. The treatment of organic waste at composting sites of communes and towns is basically guaranteed. From May 1, 2022 to January 2024, in the district, about 21,000 tons of organic household waste have been classified and treated and about 9,000 tons of inorganic waste have been transported to the treatment plant. Previously, in Nam Sach area, there were 68 concentrated waste dumps, but now only 24 are in use, 44 unused dumps have been leveled, filled with land and planted with trees to ensure the environment.

High determination

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Nam Sach district, the construction of organic waste composting cells and inorganic waste transfer points is new, without a ready-made design, so at first the district encountered many difficulties in guiding the commune level to implement. However, the department has researched, consulted with the provincial departments and branches, and built a design model for the commune level to discuss and agree on implementation.

The task of classifying, collecting and treating domestic solid waste at source is also one of the district's annual breakthrough tasks. Nam Sach proactively develops plans and issues specific directives, suitable to the actual situation; develops plans to inspect and evaluate environmental management and protection work right from the beginning of the year. In particular, the district always promotes the responsibility of the head, assigns specific responsibilities to the heads of agencies, units, and organizations of the district, communes, and towns in directing and implementing environmental management and protection tasks, taking the results of environmental management and protection as a criterion for emulation evaluation. The locality considers this an important, regular task, a fundamental solution to carry out socio-economic development tasks...

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Nam Sach is a pioneer in sorting waste at source, which is the basis for evaluating the model of sorting waste at source to replicate in the province. In 2023, the department coordinated to survey the waste sorting activities at source of 19 communes and towns in Nam Sach district. Through the assessment, the cost of waste treatment after sorting was reduced by about 50%. The district has completely solved the problem of local pollution from concentrated landfills. The amount of organic humus after composting is basically reused to improve the soil for agricultural production, crops, etc.