HCMC – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked the HCMC government to address the environmental pollution caused by two waste treatment firms—Tam Sinh Nghia Investment and Development JSC and Vietstar Environmental JSC.
According to the ministry’s document sent to the municipal government, the two companies were told to receive and treat the waste in line with their design capacities and come up with solutions to cope with the untreated volumes of waste, the local media reported.
The ministry had earlier received complaints from many residents about the activities of the two firms that were causing environmental pollution. According to the Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the two firms have been polluting the environment since 2018 but have yet to come up with a solution.
Specifically, Vietstar has the capacity to treat 1,400 tons of waste per day but received 400 tons above its capacity and was fined. However, on December 16, 2020, the Vietnam Environment Administration found it received some 2,000 tons of waste per day.
In its two yards covering 32,000 square meters, the company stores some 160,000 tons of inert waste. However, the waste is not covered completely and leachate from the two yards has seeped into the soil.
Similarly, in 2018, Tam Sinh Nghia received 200 tons of waste above its daily capacity of 1,000 tons. Despite the Vietnam Environment Administration’s warnings, it collected 1,300 tons of waste on December 16 last year.
It stored 240,000 tons of waste in an outdoor area of more than 63,000 square meters. Many areas were not well covered and leachate also seeped into the soil and flowed into a nearby lake.
At present, HCMC discharges some 9,300 tons of waste daily, excluding industrial waste, and the volume of waste has increased 10% annually.
The municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment has set a target to collect and treat all industrial and medical waste and 90% of construction waste in the city by 2025, of which 60% will be recycled. By 2023, 60% of household waste is expected to be classified at source. The rate will gradually increase in the following years.
