HCM City authorities vow to tackle waste problem

HCM CITY — The HCM City People’s Committee is determined to tackle the city’s waste treatment problems from now through 2005 as part of its face-lifting programme.

Figures from the Transport and Public Works Department show that waste disposal agencies collect more than 4,200 tonnes of waste everyday. With current trends in population growth and economic expansion, the department predicts that waste volume will increase by 20 per cent annually.

This is an alarming fact considering the city’s existing dumpsters, trucks and treatment facilities.

Presently, in addition to a waste collection co-operative, a waste treatment company, and the HCM City Urban and Environment Company (URENCO) under the Transport and Public Works Department, each of the 22 districts in the city has an agency in charge of waste collection. Yet combined efforts of these bodies cannot seem to keep the city clean.

"Disorganisation, insufficient and inadequate equipment for waste collection tearns are the main reason for the ongoing waste-related problems," says URENCO Director Nguyen Van Mon, pointing out that many old waste trolleys and dump trucks are littering streets and even blocking traffic because of poor timing on their way to transit spots and treatment centres.

In its five year Waste Treatment Programme submitted to the city’s Party Committee, the city People’s Committee proposed that a garbage fee be charged to households, and once again stressed the importance of efficient waste collection teams, which were set up under local wards’ control in 1998 with the permission of the city People’s Committee.

In fact, these teams now account for 60 per cent of all the waste collection in the city.

A city’s decision issued three years ago, state that household waste must be collected from 6pm to 6am. Markets waste must be collected in the day time, and hospital and restaurant waste removal must be negotiated between facilities and contractors.

For convenience, waste is gathered during the day and brought to 380 transit spots in the city, then loaded into dump trucks and transported to the treatment facilities or dumps.

Private waste trolleys often line up at transit spots earlier than scheduled, and then block traffic with foul-smelling waste.

"The city People’s Committee has planned to replace out-of-waste trolleys with dump trucks that have covered waste containers," Mon said, "This year we will have 50 such trucks, and by 2004, we will replace all the old trolleys, thus eliminating the need for transit spots".

However, Mon added that the situation is very complicated because waste should be sorted in the home as a first step, with individuals conscious of and concerned about our shared environment.

"Increasing dump truck’s rounds during the day is simply a symptomatic measure. It’s everyone’s responsibility to help our environment," Mon said. — VNS

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