Unplanned landfills spread in Hanoi suburbs
Wednesday, December 06, 2023, 20:27 GMT+7
Uncollected garbage has heaped up at several trash pickup sites in multiple suburbs in Hanoi, turning the places into dumpsites.
The piles of garbage that have not been transported to waste treatment facilities pollute the residential areas and annoy locals there.
Located in Huu Bang Commune under Thach That District, a waste collection site has become a large household rubbish dump, according to a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporter’s observation.
The Xuan Son solid waste treatment area in Ba Vi District halted its operation in early 2023, leading to delays in waste treatment.
Household garbage in the districts and towns in the south and west of Hanoi must be transported to the Nam Son Landfill in Soc Son District, north of the city, for treatment.
Phan Van Dung, a 70-year-old resident of Huu Bang Commune, told Tuoi Tre that though the unpleasant smell from the dump weakens in the cold season compared with the dry season, it is still too disgusting.
“Countless flies have quickly grown at the dump,” he said.
He expects waste to be treated frequently in order not to affect locals.
The garbage collection site covered some hundreds of square meters a few years ago, but it is much larger now, Dung added.
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| Uncollected trash piles up at a waste pickup site in Huu Bang Commune, Thach That District, Hanoi. Photo: Danh Khang / Tuoi Tre |
Nguyen Manh Hong, chairman of the Thanh That District administration, explained to Tuoi Tre on Tuesday that as the Xuan Son landfill shut down, waste must be transported to Nam Son, which is three times farther.
The Nam Son landfill is handling garbage coming from many districts, leading to long waits in waste treatment in the commune.
“We have reported the problem to the municipal administration, but other areas in the city are facing the same fate,” Hong said.
Huu Bang Commune discharges over 10 metric tons of household waste daily.
The waste pickup site in the commune currently has thousands of metric tons of untreated garbage.
Another in Sai Son Commune, Quoc Oai District is facing a backlog of metric tons of trash.
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| A backlog of uncollected trash in a Hanoi suburb. Photo: Danh Khang / Tuoi Tre |
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| A woman collects scrap at a trash pickup site in Hanoi. Photo: Danh Khang / Tuoi Tre |
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued guidelines on the classification of waste in early November.
Waste should be categorized into three groups, namely food waste, waste that can be reused and recycled, and others.
As per the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection, localities must start classifying trash by December 31, 2024.
Residents who fail to classify waste before throwing it will be fined VND500,000-1 million (US$20.5-41).
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