The problem of waste disposal in Nghia Dan remains unresolved.

It's a hassle to take out the trash "by asking for help".

Since the beginning of 2023, 24 communes and towns in the areaNghia Dan districtLocal authorities are struggling to find suitable locations to dispose of household waste because the local waste treatment plant is refusing to accept it. Temporary disposal at landfill sites is causing serious environmental pollution. Furthermore, in some areas, since the construction of the waste treatment plant, no landfill site has been planned, leaving residents unsure where to dispose of their waste when this situation arises.

The most challenging situation currently remains in Nghia Dan town. As the economic, political, cultural, and social center of the district, the town comprises seven hamlets and villages. On average, approximately 100 tons of household waste are generated each month. Since the beginning of the year, due to the waste treatment plant ceasing to accept waste, the local authorities have had to struggle to find alternative disposal sites.

Garbage is accumulating and piled up along the roadside in Nghia Hong commune. Photo: Minh Thai

Mr. Ho Trung Liem, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghia Dan town, said: Due to the lack of a planned landfill site, in the beginning, when the plant stopped receiving waste, the town had to request permission to temporarily dump waste at the landfill site of Nghia Binh commune. However, after a short time, local residents protested, so currently they are having to rely on Nghia Lac commune for temporary waste disposal.

Mr. Liem also stated that if the issue is not resolved soon, the town will soon not know where to dispose of its waste because no residents in the area want to bring waste from elsewhere to dump there. The district will soon hold a meeting with the waste treatment plant to discuss signing a contract.

In this plan, the signing of contracts will likely be delegated to communes and towns. If this approach is adopted, local authorities will certainly have to allocate additional budget to cover the costs, because with the current environmental sanitation fees, it is very difficult to cover the waste treatment costs.

The temporary landfill in Nghia Duc commune is overflowing with trash. Photo: Minh Thai

In Nghia Binh commune, where the waste treatment plant is located and where Nghia Dan town has been requesting permission to dump its waste since the beginning of 2023, waste disposal is now becoming a pressing issue. Mr. Pham Hai, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, stated that the entire commune collects approximately 20 tons of waste four times a month. Currently, the temporary waste disposal sites in the area are almost full. If not addressed soon, waste will accumulate everywhere.

For example, in Nghia Hong commune, because a contract with the waste treatment plant has not yet been signed, household waste from residents is temporarily being disposed of at the local landfill. The commune is currently contracting with a unit based in Thai Hoa town to collect and transport waste to a collection point. Mr. Nguyen Van Thuyet, Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, said: Currently, the communes are waiting for the results of the meeting between the district and representatives of the plant before proceeding with the contract signing and handling of the accumulated waste.

Waste is piling up on both sides of the entrance to the treatment plant. Photo: Tien Dong

It is known that Nghia Dan district already has a solid waste treatment plant, invested by T-Tech Vietnam Technology Group Joint Stock Company, with a processing capacity of 75-100 tons of waste per day and night. This plant has been in operation since June 2017.

After becoming operational, the plant processed household waste for 24 communes and towns in Nghia Dan district, with a volume of 56,287 tons by the end of 2022. However, by July 2022, after the 5-year contract between the plant and the Nghia Dan District People's Committee ended, the two sides had not reached an agreement on signing a new contract, leading to disruptions in the processing of newly generated waste. Furthermore, by the end of 2022, Nghia Dan district still owed over 8.5 billion VND for waste processing.

From January 1st, 2023, the Nghia Dan solid waste treatment plant stopped accepting waste from Nghia Dan district. The photo shows a large quantity of unburned waste piled up inside the plant. Photo: Tien Dong

Find a solution.

Mr. Phan Van Ngan, in charge of managing the Nghia Dan Solid Waste Treatment Plant, said: Previously, when the plant started operating, the waste treatment contract was signed directly between the District People's Committee and the plant.

However, due to the delay in receiving processing fees from the local authorities, the plant often lacked sufficient funds to pay workers' salaries, electricity bills, equipment maintenance, and fuel purchases, leading to temporary suspensions of waste processing. The most significant instance occurred on January 1, 2023, when the plant completely stopped accepting waste.

Currently, while temporarily suspending waste collection, the plant is also undergoing machinery maintenance. Photo: Tien Dong

According to Mr. Ngan, in addition to being owed money for waste treatment, according to the approved planning design documents of the Nghia Dan Solid Waste Treatment Plant project and the investment policy approved by the Provincial People's Committee, the total land area to be handed over to the investor for the project is 8.37 hectares. However, to date, the locality has only handed over 3.1 hectares. This area is insufficient to accommodate ash disposal pits, expand the waste collection and sorting yard, and improve the sorting of incoming waste.

Regarding the option of the factory signing contracts directly with 24 communes and towns, Mr. Ngan stated: Previously, when the factory signed contracts with the district, the signing, acceptance, and settlement processes were easier. Signing separately with each commune and town means adding more points of contact, requiring 24 sets of contracts, and having to visit each commune and town periodically (monthly and quarterly) to complete the paperwork.

"In the future, when we sign contracts with each commune and town individually, the settlement and payment methods will definitely have to be standardized on a quarterly basis, and processing fees will be paid through bank accounts… otherwise, we won't have enough staff to handle the work," Mr. Ngan shared.

Besides being in arrears with waste treatment fees, the project currently lacks sufficient land to accommodate ash disposal pits, expand collection and sorting areas for incoming waste. Photo: Tien Dong

Mr. Tran Manh Ha, Vice Chairman of the Nghia Dan District People's Committee, said: "In the coming time, the district will chair a meeting with the investor to reach an agreement. Regarding the parties signing the contract, controlling the volume, acceptance testing, etc., at the end of 2021, the District People's Council also issued a Resolution on the classification, collection, transportation, volume control, and management of funds for the collection, transportation, and treatment of household waste in the district. Accordingly, the signing of contracts, volume control, and acceptance testing will be carried out by the People's Committees of communes and towns, businesses, and production and business establishments in the district."

In addition, the People's Committees of communes and towns must base their budget estimates and organize the collection of fees for the collection, transportation, and processing of household waste on the population distribution in their respective areas, in accordance with the service price regulations issued by the Provincial People's Committee. The settlement and payment process will also be carried out according to the principle that the unit that signs the contract is responsible for managing the settlement and payment as stipulated.

If the issues related to contract signing and debt settlement are not resolved soon, it will significantly affect the environmental situation in Nghia Dan district. Photo: Tien Dong

Mr. Ha also argued that the district cannot send people to each commune to weigh and measure waste, relying solely on reported data, as this would violate principles. If the communes sign off on the figures, monitoring the volume would be more effective, allowing villages and communes to monitor the amount of waste generated and minimize potential errors.

The root cause of the backlog of waste in Nghia Dan is the lack of funding for waste treatment, coupled with insufficient land handover to investors. The current landfilling of waste in the communes is only a temporary solution, and ineffective treatment will lead to negative environmental impacts. It is imperative that the local authorities and investors promptly find solutions, demonstrating a sense of responsibility towards the community, the environment, and the health of the people.