The man who "finds gold" from... trash.

The story of a fairly large business owner who spends his days wandering around and investigating garbage dumps and construction waste has long been familiar to many people at the Dong Khe Urban Environment Company (Dong Trieu).

The solution came about by chance from an accident involving a child.

At the end of 2023, I had the opportunity to attend a Businessmen's Cafe. There, the leaders of Dong Trieu town listened to and resolved the problems of many construction material manufacturing businesses facing a shortage of raw materials, causing many to reduce operations and struggle. However, some businesses, like this company, managed to stay afloat and find their own ways to survive.   Dong Khe Environmental Sanitation Services Joint Stock Company (Hoang Que, Dong Trieu).

Mr. Nguyen Van Luyen has always been concerned with maintaining production and employment for workers.

I decided to find out more about the owner and his business. Following the humorous introduction from a town leader: "Looking for the business owner? It's not difficult, just look around the town's garbage and waste dumps… you'll find him." I went searching, and as he said, I had to wait quite a while because Mr. Nguyen Van Luyen was surveying construction waste dumps for raw materials. My first impression of this man in his 50s was his down-to-earth nature, evident in his sturdy, agile build and weathered, sun-tanned face.

Mr. Luyen said: "My company has been producing unburnt bricks and other related products for a long time and has established a brand. During the period of 2018-2021, the quarries ceased operations, raw materials were scarce, but imports were too expensive, so we could only produce at a limited capacity. Seeing our elaborately invested production line, with 40 workers at risk of layoffs or dismissal, I felt incredibly heartbroken."

Mr. Luyen recounted that his business's involvement in recycling construction and mining waste was purely coincidental. His house was located in the Hoang Que urban area, which was frequently targeted by illegal dumping of construction waste. Many of these dumpsites were overgrown with weeds and vegetation. One time, neighborhood children playing near the dumping area tried to hide but accidentally stepped on concrete debris, which pierced their legs, causing serious injuries that required emergency medical attention.

He immediately thought of a way to eliminate this threat. Through his research, Mr. Luyen learned that this type of "waste" was an ideal material for producing unburnt bricks, replacing sand, stone, and other building materials that were scarce and expensive. Being a skilled and experienced engineer, Mr. Luyen acted on his idea and devised a device to crush and recycle construction solid waste into building materials, mimicking equipment from abroad.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luyen often personally inspects construction waste.

Mr. Luyen analyzed: While raw material prices are high, we can utilize construction waste. In fact, this construction waste contains sufficient sand, stone, lime, and cement to create the hardness, strength, and smoothness needed for pressing non-fired bricks. It can replace thermal power plant slag and crushed stone, which are already slated for discontinuation and are expensive to import from other provinces. Thus, this is a fairly ideal raw material, not only helping to maintain production but also saving 30-40% of costs.

Mr. Luyen further shared: "As someone concerned about the field I am investing in and producing in, I know that every year the whole country suffers losses of up to 5% of GDP, equivalent to 10 billion USD, due to environmental pollution, mainly from waste, of which 25-30% is construction waste. If we do a good job of recycling construction waste, Vietnam will save a huge amount of money currently spent on solid waste treatment. Therefore, I think that although there are difficulties and hardships ahead, the prospects are quite bright…"

Success comes from... taking risks.

Thanks to his flexibility and creativity, Mr. Luyen helped businesses and workers overcome difficult times. Few know that those innovations, which paved the way to success, involved considerable risks. This story begins in 2022, when his business, with over 40 employees and a stable brand, faced a shortage of raw materials due to the scarcity and high cost of sand; the local authorities stopped quarrying stone for production… The factory, which was his passion project, faced the risk of closure and reduced work hours.

In that difficult situation, Mr. Luyen decided to invest his capital and borrow money to invest in two small-scale crushing and screening lines. “These are refurbished/renovated equipment based on existing stone and concrete crushing systems, with a production capacity of 5-10 m³/hour. In reality, this is a very simple task if you have experience in the industry,” Mr. Luyen shared.

Mr. Luyen boldly invested in a processing line for waste materials and mine waste – one of the crucial steps to overcome the difficult period.

An investment of several hundred million to billions of dong was a significant asset for a struggling company at the time. While many similar companies faced difficulties and temporarily ceased operations, his somewhat risky decision helped the company maintain production and create jobs for workers. He obtained permission from the town to collect construction waste from landfills and mobilized resources to dispose of the "waste." The title of "construction waste disposal expert" has been associated with him ever since.

This risky move also opened a new path for Mr. Luyen. In mid-2023, Dong Trieu town pioneered the use of mine waste as leveling material due to a shortage of sand and gravel. Coincidentally, while passing through a leveling area, he saw many large rocks left behind by the construction unit because they were unusable for leveling. This sparked his idea to recycle mine waste.

After securing a supplier, he decided to invest 10-20 billion VND to plan the site and design an upgraded system for crushing and processing earth and rocks into leveling materials. After more than half a year of trial and error, visiting numerous mechanical workshops in Hung Yen and other parts of the country, he successfully ordered a system for crushing and processing artificial leveling materials. “At that time, in a difficult and dire situation where many construction material businesses had to cease production, my investment of tens of billions of VND in a new production line and a nearly 2-hectare factory was considered extremely risky and reckless. However, I still had faith,” Mr. Luyen recounted.

The long wait for the major project has finally come to an end. In mid-May 2024, his project was approved by the Provincial People's Committee. The quality of the artificial leveling materials he had been hoping for was assessed by the authorities as meeting standards and permitted for widespread use. Along with that came the joy of the newly completed production line, operating well with a capacity of approximately 1,000 tons per day, being delivered and awaiting commissioning.

The first batches of landfill material were produced on a pilot basis using the existing production line of Dong Khe Environmental Sanitation Services Joint Stock Company in 2023.

One day, I suddenly received a phone call from Mr. Luyen, who excitedly informed me about two projects he was pursuing: The landfill material project had received approval and permits from all levels. The new production line was also ready for installation, awaiting the day it would produce its first batch of products. The town was also urgently developing a plan for a separate waste disposal area in the industrial zones to facilitate businesses' access to "construction waste."

Regarding this issue, Mr. Le Van Do, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Trieu Town, said: "In the next 1-2 years, the demand for earth, stone, and leveling materials will be very large, reaching millions of cubic meters. Finding this alternative source of raw materials will contribute to definitively solving the 'shortage' of leveling materials. According to the assessment of the Provincial Department of Construction, this product has been tested and evaluated by relevant agencies and meets construction standards. Not only is it a pioneering application in the locality, but it is very likely that this new material will be used widely throughout the province. The project has great prospects."

However, what Mr. Luyen is also waiting for is to be given the opportunity to collect construction waste to maintain production and jobs for the company's workers, as well as to have the approval process expedited so that the projects can become operational soon.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nguoi-dai-vang-tu-rac-3314113.html