VLU President Leads Seminar on "Enhancing the Efficiency of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Thu Duc City."

On March 19th, 2022, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City organized a seminar on the topic "Enhancing the efficiency of municipal solid waste management in the area of Thu Duc City." The seminar was led by Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu, the president of Van Lang University, and Professor Dr. Nguyen Ky Phung, Member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thu Duc City. The program was attended by more than 40 experts, professors, and leaders from universities, research institutes, specialized agencies, and businesses in Ho Chi Minh City and Thu Duc City.

During the conference, Mr. Tong Viet Thanh, Deputy head of the solid waste management department – the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City, presented the topic "Solid waste management in Ho Chi Minh City." It was reported that Ho Chi Minh City generates approximately 8,600 tons of domestic solid waste (DSW) per day, with around 40% collected by waste collection companies, and the remaining 60% collected by individual residents. The majority of vehicles used for waste collection by individual residents do not meet environmental sanitation standards. Ho Chi Minh City aims to achieve a waste treatment rate of at least 80% using modern technology (incineration) and recycling by 2025 (targeting 100% by 2030).

Mr. Huynh Minh Nhat, Director of the Urban Environment Company Limited in Ho Chi Minh City, presented a report titled “Current situation of collection, transfer, transportation and treatment of municipal solid waste in Ho Chi Minh City.” In the report, Mr. Huynh Minh Nhat assessed that the current collection, transfer, transportation and treatment of solid household waste are still fragmented and not centralized. The facilities, equipment, and technologies for collection, transfer, transportation and treatment are not unified or modernized. The proportion of waste collected by individual residents is high (60%), indicating incomplete collection. The current waste treatment lacks emphasis on reduction, reuse, recycling, and energy recovery solutions.

Therefore, Mr. Huynh Minh Nhat proposed that Thu Duc City needs to establish effective management mechanisms for waste sources, promote public awareness and impose penalties for non-compliance with waste collection and treatment contracts. It is also necessary to standardize the collection and transportation forces of both public and private sectors, plan appropriate transfer stations, invest in and encourage the construction of automated, modern waste compression stations. Strong leadership is needed to implement source separation of domestic solid waste (DSW) and create favorable conditions for units involved in waste collection and recycling. Additionally, it is crucial to develop a network for collecting industrial waste, bulky waste and recyclable waste, progressively establishing waste treatment and recycling centers.

Mr. Tran Duy Long stated that currently, an estimated amount of 1,300 - 1,500 tons of household solid waste is generated in Thu Duc City per day. By 2025, with a population of nearly 2 million people, it is projected that the amount of household solid waste generated will reach approximately 2,600 - 3,000 tons per day. The increasing amount of daily waste will put additional pressure on waste management efforts in the future.

According to Mr. Tran Duy Long , there are currently 17 private enterprises, 4 public enterprises, and 8 cooperatives across the city involved in household waste collection at the source. The transportation fleet consists of 97 standard waste compression trucks, over 350 non-standardized trucks, and 46 660-liter containers. Household waste collected at transfer stations and prescribed places is transported to the Da Phuoc Integrated Solid Waste Treatment Complex for processing as regulated.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Loan, Head of the Environmental faculty at the University of Natural Sciences (Ho Chi Minh City National University), presented a report titled "Household solid waste management model: International experience and proposed model for Thu Duc City". Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Loan suggested that in order to enhance the efficiency of solid waste management in Thu Duc City, it is necessary to develop source sorting of household waste; comply with laws and raise public awareness regarding law enforcement; improve overall solid waste management and involve public and private entities as well as relevant parties in waste management; consider social aspects, including leadership and political determination as decisive factors.

During the conference, feedback was also received from Associate Prof. Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu, President of Van Lang University; Associate Prof. Dr. Le Thi Kim Oanh, Head of the Environmental Faculty at Van Lang University; Associate Prof. Dr. To Thi Hien, University of Natural Sciences; Associate Prof. Dr. Phung Chi Si, Environmental Technology Center – ENTEC; Associate Prof. Dr. Le Van Khoa, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology; Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Thi Kim Tuyen, Saigon University; Prof. Dr. Le Thanh Hai, Institute of Environment and Resources; Dr. Trinh Thi Long, World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF - Vietnam). They provided scientific, theoretical, and practical solutions for waste collection, transportation, and treatment of household solid waste in Thu Duc City, as well as raising awareness within the community about environmental protection and building a clean and green Thu Duc City.

Concluding statement at the conference, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ky Phung, Member of the Executive Board, Vice Chairman of Thu Duc City People's Committee, on behalf of organizers, expressed the gratitude to the experts, professors, leaders of universities, scientific research centers, specialized agencies, and businesses from Ho Chi Minh City and Thu Duc City who attended the conference and provided valuable feedback and practical models for Thu Duc City. Thu Duc City will acknowledge, select, and disseminate the valuable contributions, as well as appropriate models in accordance with current regulations and the socio-economic development situation in the locality, in order to enhance the efficiency of solid waste management in the area in the near future. Through these efforts, Thu Duc City aims to become a sustainable, green, clean, and beautiful city.

News: Compiled from different sources