LookAtVietnam – Viet Nam will collect, reuse and recycle most of its solid waste by using environmentally friendly methods by 2050, and minimise . . .

Workers sort waste at the Trang Cat solid waste facility in Hai Phong.

Under the plan, any organisation or individual releasing waste that causes pollution must pay for damages.

By 2025, the plan calls for all cities to have a solid waste recycling plant each and for all households to sort their waste.

To prevent pollution, 100 per cent of solid waste from urban areas and toxic and non-toxic industrial solid waste will be collected and treated.

Ninety per cent of solid waste from construction and 90 per cent of solid waste from rural residential areas will be collected and treated as well.

The use of plastic bags at supermarkets and commercial centres will be reduced by 85 per cent compared to the 2010 figure. The plan also emphasizes the need to reuse and recycle.

Under the plan, solid waste treatment complexes will be built at major economic centres nationwide.

Policies on solid waste management will be improved during that time, and a database and observation system on solid waste will be set up. Scientific research on waste reuse and recycling will be encouraged.

Raising public awareness about environmental issues and establishing a fund on recycling solid waste are also part of the plan.

To generate additional funds, the Government will mobilise investment on solid waste management and seek support from Official Development Assistance (ODA) from international donors.

Under the strategy, there will be a total of 10 solid waste management projects until 2025.

Sore eyes, diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and dermatological and respiratory ailments can occur as a result of exposure to solid waste.

According to preliminary statistics, Ha Noi and HCM City are the greatest sources of solid waste.

Despite having only 24 per cent of the national population, the two cities release more than 6 million tonnes of solid waste every year, accounting for 50 per cent of the amount nationwide.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News