National Assembly Delegate Tran Nhat Minh (Nghe An): Collect garbage collection fees based on volume instead of collecting them evenly by household

The new point of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection is to apply the principle of “Polluters Pays”: an effective policy is to collect garbage collection fees based on volume instead of collecting them uniformly by household. When people who throw a lot of garbage have to pay more, they will have an incentive to sort and reduce garbage from the beginning.

This is one of the recommendations of National Assembly delegate Tran Nhat Minh ( Nghe An ) at the discussion session this morning (October 28) in the Hall on the Report on the results of monitoring "the implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection since the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 took effect".

Treatment of domestic solid waste and wastewater is still backward.

Delegate Tran Nhat Minh said that according to the Monitoring Report, data from 2024 showed that on average, the country generates over 69,400 tons of household waste every day, but 62.97% is still treated by landfill, most of which is unsanitary landfill. Many landfills have stopped operating for many years in some localities but have not been closed or restored to the environment according to the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection.

At the same time, the report also pointed out: the technical infrastructure for environmental protection, especially in the collection and treatment of domestic solid waste and wastewater, is still backward and does not meet the requirements. Currently, only about 18% of the total urban wastewater is collected and treated; the direct landfill rate remains high, many landfills causing environmental pollution are slow to be treated. The issuance and implementation of new policies on classification, collection, transportation, recycling and treatment of domestic solid waste are not on schedule and are ineffective due to the lack of synchronous classification, collection and treatment infrastructure.

National Assembly Deputy Tran Nhat Minh (Nghe An) speaks. Photo: Quang Khanh

“Although the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and guiding documents have regulations on the collection of specific waste such as electronics, batteries, and solar panels, associated with the manufacturer's recycling responsibility (EPR), in reality, the collection and recycling infrastructure for these waste streams is still limited,” the delegate emphasized.

Delegate Tran Nhat Minh said that the policy of classifying waste at source according to the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, which will take effect nationwide from January 1, 2025, is considered an important step to lay the foundation for a circular economy , reduce the pressure on waste treatment and move towards sustainable environmental protection, expected to create changes in waste treatment habits and reduce dependence on landfills.

However, citing information from the article "Waste classification at source: 8 months of many expectations still unfulfilled" published in the Environment and Life Magazine, delegate Tran Nhat Minh said: before the merger of provinces and cities, only 34/63 localities implemented waste classification at source, mainly on a small scale, piloted, and not yet widely replicated. The implementation and coordination between ministries, branches and localities were not synchronous, and did not focus on urgent solutions to prepare the necessary conditions to meet the requirements of domestic solid waste management.

Before the merger, there were still 33 localities that had not issued regulations on classifying domestic solid waste in the area according to the guidance of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ; 59 localities had not issued economic and technical norms; 58 localities had not issued prices for collection, transportation and treatment of domestic solid waste, while these are very important conditions for implementing waste classification at source... From the above figures and reality, it can be seen that although the regulation on classifying waste at source has come into effect, after nearly a year of implementation, in many places the implementation is still sluggish, or has not even started, raising questions about bottlenecks in the implementation stage.

This delay and lack of synchronization has resulted in pollution from domestic waste not being minimized; many landfills polluting land, water sources, and air in some localities have not been thoroughly treated; in some cases, people living near rivers and streams throw garbage along the flow, causing pollution not only in their residential areas but also affecting downstream areas.

“Without a comprehensive solution, domestic solid waste will continue to be the main cause of increasing serious pollution spots and environmental hotspots, negatively impacting people's health and lives,” the delegate emphasized.

Regarding the cause, delegate Tran Nhat Minh pointed out: in addition to infrastructure difficulties, social habits are significant barriers. Many generations of people have been used to putting all their garbage in a single plastic bag for sanitation workers to take away. Changing this habit requires a long, continuous and supervised process. When people have not seen the direct benefits of sorting, while the collection process has not been guaranteed to be separate, the fear of change easily appears and old habits return. In fact, there are cases where people have sorted but when they see the garbage trucks collecting together, their confidence is reduced, their efforts are considered useless, making the formation of sustainable habits difficult, even stagnant.

In addition, communication work has not been as effective as expected. Although many localities have promoted through loudspeaker systems, distributed leaflets, and provided direct instructions, the methods are still scattered and not convincing enough. Many people are still confused when asked about specific classification methods, not clearly distinguishing between recyclable waste, organic waste, and the purpose of classification, in the context of waste being collected together. Many communication campaigns only stop at slogans, do not go into details, and do not create strong motivation to change behavior.

Another difficulty in the mechanism and policy group is that in many places, economic and technical norms and unit prices for waste collection, transportation and treatment have not been fully issued, making it difficult to sign service contracts with public utilities, reducing the initiative of localities in organizing synchronous implementation from classification, collection to treatment.

Removing the "bottleneck" in waste classification and treatment

In order for waste classification at source according to the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 to be highly effective, delegate Tran Nhat Minh proposed that the following factors must be ensured:

Firstly, it is the synchronization in the waste collection and treatment system. Delegates said that one of the major problems today is that waste, although sorted at the source, is still collected together, causing people to lose motivation to implement it. Therefore, for the policy to be feasible, it is necessary to invest in building separate collection, transportation and treatment systems for each type of waste... Localities need to invest in synchronous infrastructure, have recycling plants, treat organic waste and hazardous waste accordingly, and ensure the capacity to receive and treat waste appropriate to the scale of generation.

Second, raise people's awareness and consciousness. If people clearly understand the benefits and see the effects of classification - such as reducing pollution, saving resources, reducing processing costs - they will implement it more seriously and sustainably... Therefore, there needs to be a wide-ranging education and propaganda program through schools, media, and residential areas to change habits.

The new point of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection is to apply the principle of “Polluters pay”: an effective policy is to collect garbage collection fees based on volume instead of collecting them uniformly by household. When people who throw a lot of garbage have to pay more, they will have the incentive to sort and reduce garbage from the beginning… This also encourages people to reuse, recycle and consume sustainably.

Third, a strict monitoring mechanism and sanctions. Without a strict monitoring mechanism and strong enough sanctions, people will lack the motivation to comply. It is necessary to build a system to check and evaluate implementation in residential areas, buildings, and businesses - for example, applying smart camera systems. Violations, especially businesses and households that do not classify or dump waste incorrectly, need to be strictly punished to ensure deterrence.

For effective implementation, active participation of local authorities is required, in which grassroots authorities play a key role in organizing collection, propaganda and supervision.

Fourth, develop an implementation roadmap suitable for each locality. Delegate Tran Nhat Minh also emphasized: it is impossible to apply a common model to all, because economic conditions, waste treatment infrastructure and population density in each region are very different, especially between urban and rural areas. Therefore, each locality needs to develop a step-by-step roadmap, specific technical instructions, suitable for practice; at the same time, it is necessary to prioritize implementation in large urban areas first, then expand to rural areas, ensuring synchronization, feasibility and cost savings.

Fifth, the responsibility of the manufacturer. According to the new regulations, enterprises that produce and trade packaging and plastic products must be responsible for collecting and treating waste generated by their products. The “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) policy, which has been applied in many countries, requires enterprises to sponsor waste collection and recycling systems… Enterprises can set up packaging collection points at supermarkets and convenience stores, encourage people to bring waste in exchange for incentives, contributing to the formation of a closed cycle between production - consumption - recycling.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/dbqh-tran-nhat-minh-nghe-an-thu-phi-thu-gom-rac-theo-khoi-luong-thay-vi-thu-dong-deu-theo-ho-gia-dinh-10393303.html