View from Quynh Luu

(Baonghean) -While many rural areas in the province are struggling with the problem of waste and waste collection, in Quynh Luu district, with the model of socializing waste collection activities and the establishment of 3 private urban environmental sanitation companies, it has initially contributed to solving the problem of environmental sanitation in the area...

As a small, densely populated commune (16,000 people, 3,300 households), with an average of more than 6 tons of waste per day, Quynh Phuong (Quynh Luu) always has to face environmental pollution, especially after the commune's centralized landfill became overloaded. However, at present, in the coastal commune of Quynh Phuong, it is clear that from the inter-hamlet roads, the canal system to the fishing wharf area, there is no longer a situation of stagnant waste emitting a foul odor, causing loss of aesthetics and environmental pollution as before. Mr. Nguyen Van Chau - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Phuong commune happily said: Along with the establishment of 11 waste collection teams in 11 hamlets, people in the commune have agreed to contribute from 17-19 thousand VND/month per household to contract with Hoang Mai Urban Environment Company to collect waste in the area. Accordingly, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, households collect their garbage at the beginning of the alleys, the company's garbage collection team transports it to the commune's garbage treatment site, and then collects it at the district's centralized garbage dump. The commune has also mobilized people to contribute 50,000 VND per household to handle the commune's centralized garbage dump, while transporting the garbage, planting trees along the embankment worth more than 100 million VND...

Workers of Thai Binh Nguyen Company Limited collect garbage in Cau Giat Town.

In Cau Giat Town, a densely populated area with 10,353 people, 2,590 households (including 540 small and medium-sized businesses), 50 agencies, organizations, units, 6 schools... the total amount of waste discharged each day is about 22 - 27m3. For a long time, the collection, transportation and treatment of waste has been mainly done manually by hiring trucks to carry it away and burn it in the dry season, but it has only been collected on some key routes and gathered at temporary dumps along the Thai River. A part of the waste is dumped directly by local people and neighboring communes into ditches, ponds, lakes, rivers, roadsides and public areas, causing serious pollution and a high risk of disease. Faced with that situation, the town government has contracted with Thai Binh Nguyen Company Limited to collect and transport waste in the area to the district's landfill using specialized vehicles to ensure a green, clean, and beautiful urban landscape and environment.

Mr. Ho Ngoc Thai - Director of Thai Binh Nguyen Company Limited said: Along with recruiting 23 staff, including 15 garbage collectors, the company has invested in 60 specialized garbage carts, 6 trailers to the collection point, 3 lawn mowers, 60 garbage bins and compactors worth 760 million VND to ensure regular collection during the day. People in 12 blocks in the town all agreed to contribute a fee of 20,000 VND/month for households of 4 people and 25,000 VND/month for households of 5 people or more, especially poor households and lonely elderly people are exempted from garbage collection fees...

As the most populous district in the province with 2 towns, 41 communes (including 12 coastal communes), nearly 314,000 people, nearly 400 small and medium enterprises, more than 10,000 individual business households, Quynh Luu always faces the pressure of environmental pollution. According to Mr. Dau Duc Nam - Head of the district's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, in the past, the district also assigned local authorities to organize the collection of waste to the commune's centralized landfill and then hire vehicles to transport it to the district's centralized landfill, but the efficiency was not high. On the other hand, many coastal communes do not have land to build centralized landfills, so environmental pollution has become a pressing issue in the community. Therefore, the establishment and initial successful operation of 3 private companies operating in the field of environmental sanitation include: Thai Binh Nguyen Company Limited; Hoang Mai Urban Environment Company and Thanh Bo Environment Company not only actively contribute to the collection and treatment of rural household waste, but also contribute to raising awareness among people, gradually making environmental sanitation the responsibility of the whole community.

This model also creates jobs for dozens of local workers with stable income. Because there are up to 3 companies, competition is higher, so efficiency and quality of work are also more guaranteed. Although the current fee is quite high compared to rural people (due to the large amount of waste and long transportation distance), many localities, especially some coastal communes such as Quynh Phuong, Quynh Di, Quynh Lien ... have proactively signed contracts with companies to collect waste to ensure environmental landscape and health for people.

In addition to creating conditions for 3 private environmental sanitation companies to collect waste in the area, according to the roadmap for implementing the Environmental Sanitation, Clean Water and Construction of Standard Sanitation Works Project for the period 2010-2015, the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district has also decided to invest nearly 13 billion VND to build a centralized landfill in Ngoc Son commune with an area of ​​7 hectares and is currently surveying to build a centralized landfill of the district in Quynh Loc commune with an area of ​​about 15 hectares. In the long term, the district is calling for investment to build a waste treatment plant in the locality.

Article and photos: Khanh Ly