Problems in implementing solid waste treatment project

Garbage in Cao Thang (Thanh Mien) as well as many other localities is still collected in a chaotic manner and then transferred to a centralized landfill.

According to Mr. Vu Manh Tuong, Head of the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Natural Resources and Environment (TNMT), in 2022, localities and relevant units have proactively deployed tasks to implement the project. The classification of domestic solid waste at source has been widely implemented in a number of localities and has achieved some initial results. The proportion of inorganic waste that must be treated at factories or buried after classification has decreased significantly. People have initially had good awareness in classifying waste at source, composting at home and using compost in agricultural production.

However, there are still some difficulties and problems in the implementation process. According to the project implementation plan of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Planning and Investment is assigned to take the lead in advising the Provincial People's Committee to promulgate mechanisms and policies to support attracting investors to build domestic solid waste treatment plants; organize appraisal and submit to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and approval of investment policies for solid waste treatment plant investment projects according to the approved planning. However, these tasks have not yet been implemented because the Department does not have sufficient legal basis to advise the province to promulgate mechanisms and policies as required. In particular, there are problems due to changes in the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 (effective from January 1, 2022) leading to changes related to the responsibility of promulgating mechanisms and policies to support and give incentives for environmental protection activities for the Provincial People's Committee.

Recently, there have been a number of investors interested in investing in a centralized waste treatment plant in the province using advanced technology, but no investors have submitted project proposals.

Regarding the classification of waste at source according to the content of the project, through the investigation of reporters in some districts such as Cam Giang, Thanh Mien, Gia Loc, Kim Thanh, it shows that the collection, classification and treatment of household waste at households has only stopped at the pilot model implementation, and there has not been a scientific assessment of the implementation results. Financial support for investment in equipment and preparations for waste classification at source has not been available or has not been timely, leading to the implementation progress not being guaranteed according to the set plan. There is no separate equipment for collecting inorganic and organic waste, so the current waste collection is mainly still done by groups that collect mixed types of waste and then transport them to the communal or village landfill. Most of the waste collection and transportation fees in localities are being calculated on average, "leveling" in nature, so it is not fair and does not encourage people to classify waste to limit the amount of waste that needs to be treated.

The implementation of waste classification is not yet consistent between stages. In the photo: A household in Hong Phong commune (Nam Sach) sorts waste using its own means, without separate waste bins.

Another drawback is that, according to the approved project, when classifying waste at source, households will be supported with a mobile compost pit cover measuring 0.7 m x 0.7 m. However, the actual implementation in some localities shows that the size of 0.6 m x 0.6 m is more suitable and some households do not use compost pits but use compost bins. Also according to the project, households that classify waste at source will be supported with Emuviv microbial products, but in reality, in addition to Emuniv products, there are many other products on the market with similar treatment efficiency such as: Emzeo, Gem -P1...

Along with the above difficulties, the task of establishing and appraising the price plan for collection, transportation and treatment of domestic solid waste according to the content of the project cannot be implemented due to the lack of specific instructions on technical economic norms and technical instructions on classification of domestic solid waste.

Faced with the above difficulties and problems, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has sent a document requesting specific instructions, but the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has not yet responded. In November 2022, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment reported and requested the Provincial People's Committee to consider adjusting and supplementing a number of contents and items to support the implementation of the pilot model of waste classification at source. In December 2022, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee directed and assigned specific tasks to each relevant department, branch and locality. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment must take the lead in coordinating and inspecting and specifically evaluating the effectiveness of the waste classification model at source being implemented in Nam Sach district, and propose solutions to improve the model. Based on the proposal, the Provincial People's Committee will consider and decide on the implementation and replication of the model in the province. The Department of Planning and Investment advises and proposes the investment project to build technical infrastructure for the Viet Hong waste treatment area (Thanh Ha) into the medium-term public investment portfolio and the 2023 public investment plan. The Department of Finance balances funding sources to support localities in collecting and treating domestic solid waste and promptly implementing the project, ensuring the project's progress...

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