Paradox of abandoned waste treatment plant, local authorities have to find a place to treat it

Localities must find a place to dispose of garbage.

Hoang Dieu commune has 7 villages, 4 of which are engaged in leather shoe production (including Phong Lam, Truc Lam, Van Lam, Nghia Hy) with about 1,600 households, discharging about 800 kg of garbage every day.

Previously, Hoang Dieu commune planned a landfill of 2,000 m2.²in Truc Lam village containing waste. Since 2022, when the landfill is relatively full and the waste treatment by landfill is not environmentally friendly, the People's Committee of Hoang Dieu commune has signed a contract with An Sinh Environmental Technology Joint Stock Company (called An Sinh Company, Hoang Dieu commune) to treat the waste. According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Nghia, an environmental officer of Hoang Dieu commune, the amount of waste collected and brought to An Sinh Company for treatment is about 90%, the rest is still transferred to the Truc Lam village landfill.

According to Mr. Nghia, in the commune, there is a factory of Global Environmental Development Investment Joint Stock Company (called Global Company) built to treat waste for the craft village but it is not operating, causing the locality to struggle with waste treatment. At the end of 2023, the factory operated for a few months, the craft village's waste was transferred from An Sinh Company to Global Company for treatment, but then it was temporarily suspended, forcing the locality to return to sign a contract with An Sinh Company to continue treating the waste.

“I hope the waste treatment plant will soon be operational so we don’t have to struggle to find a place to treat the waste,” said Ms. Duong Thi Nham, Hoang Dieu Commune Environmental Sanitation Cooperative.

Factory "shelved" due to internal conflicts

Hoang Dieu Commune has a traditional leather shoe making profession, but still treats waste by collecting and burying it. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved the “Project to build a waste treatment model for Hoang Dieu Commune Shoe Production Village” on an area of ​​440 m² The project is managed by the Vietnam Institute of Water Resources. After the trial operation, in December 2015, this unit handed over the project to the People's Committee of Hoang Dieu Commune. However, the People's Committee of Hoang Dieu Commune encountered difficulties in technology, funding, etc., so the project did not operate.

To avoid waste, in 2017, the Provincial People's Committee organized an auction for the project and Luong Tai Urban Environment Construction Joint Stock Company won the bid. Because this company no longer needed to use it, it transferred it to Toan Cau Company. After receiving it, Toan Cau Company prepared a proposal and was approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 2618/QD-UBND dated July 30, 2019 with a scale of processing 1,140 tons of waste/year, on an area of ​​6,238 m²On August 18, 2021, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 2355/QD-UBND approving the policy and approving the investor (first adjustment) to implement the project, adjusting the completion schedule and putting the project into synchronous operation within 18 months, from July 30, 2021.

The company has completed the procedures to rent 2,300 m²land and was granted a land use right certificate by the People's Committee of Hai Duong province. The remaining area is stuck in site clearance.

The company has prepared an environmental impact assessment report and it has been approved by the Provincial People's Committee. At the end of 2023, the company will put the factory into trial operation, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment will determine that all environmental factors are guaranteed and qualified for official operation.

Toan Cau Company, with Mr. Ngo Doan Hien as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Ms. Phung Thi Hong Tham as Director, had conflicts during its operations. On December 25, 2022, 7 shareholders held a meeting to transfer shares and change the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company; Mr. Ngo Doan Hien was absent. Accordingly, 5 shareholders sold all shares to Mr. Le Van Tuyen and withdrew from the company.

After the transfer, Mr. Tuyen holds 50% of the shares; Ms. Phung Thi Hong Tham holds 40% (Mr. Tuyen and Ms. Tham are husband and wife) and Mr. Ngo Doan Hien holds 10%. The members also voted to change the title of Chairman of the Board of Directors from Mr. Hien to Mr. Tuyen.

Working with Mr. Hien, he said that the above meeting was organized against regulations when he was the Chairman of the Board of Directors but did not receive the meeting invitation. According to the documents provided by Mr. Hien, the meeting minutes had no number, no seal, and the chairman did not stamp... "This meeting was not in accordance with regulations. Therefore, I do not recognize all future transactions and activities conducted by the company," Mr. Hien said.

After receiving the transfer, Mr. Tuyen and Ms. Tham sold 85% of the shares to Mr. Ta Dang Duong in Thuy Lam commune, Dong Anh district (Hanoi) and changed the title of company director from Ms. Tham to Mr. Duong. Mr. Duong invested in a number of items, put the factory into trial operation, completed the environmental impact assessment report...

According to Mr. Duong, the main reason why the factory has not yet been put into operation is due to internal conflicts within the company. "After the trial operation, we have met all the operating conditions but do not have raw materials. We hope that the locality will soon implement a plan to collect garbage to households," said Mr. Duong.

"Due to internal conflicts within the company, the locality has received several documents requesting to stop collecting garbage for residents. We also hope that the company will soon resolve the difficulties and problems so that the factory can soon go into operation and avoid waste," added Mr. Nguyen Tuan Nghia, an environmental officer of Hoang Dieu commune.

Due to internal conflicts within the company, the Global Waste Treatment Plant had to stop operating. The machinery was rusted, some equipment was moved to another location by the investor, while the people of Hoang Dieu commune had to struggle to find a place to treat the waste. If the plant did not go into operation, it would be a waste and not in line with the original purpose of its construction.