Soc Trang strives to collect, transport and treat household waste

According to the authorities, the total volume of domestic solid waste generated in the whole province is currently about 916 tons/day, of which, domestic solid waste generated in urban areas and concentrated residential areas is 312 tons/day, in rural areas is about 604 tons/day. The collection rate of domestic solid waste in urban and rural areas is currently quite high. In Soc Trang city alone, the amount of domestic waste generated is estimated at about 130 tons/day, equivalent to 47,085 tons/year. Although waste collection has been increased, in reality a significant proportion of domestic waste is discharged into the surrounding environment.

People throw household waste all over the street. Photo: KIM NGOC

According to the reporter's records, on some roads in the inner city of Soc Trang, there are many spontaneous garbage dumps along the roadsides, under canals, ditches, bridge foundations, tree roots, sidewalks with all kinds of garbage, emitting an unpleasant odor. Specifically, on Vo Van Kiet, Tran Hung Dao, Bach Dang streets and on canals, ditches, rivers such as Maspero, Quan Khuon, Tam Thuoc... many types of garbage are floating. In addition, in parks, people come here to have fun and throw garbage in flower pots, tree roots even though there are trash cans around. That causes loss of urban beauty as well as negative impacts on health. During festivals or crowded places, the amount of garbage generated is quite large. Although the authorities have taken many measures such as placing trash cans and cleaning up continuously, they cannot handle all the large amount of garbage generated.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung, resident of Tam Trung Hamlet, Ward 10, Soc Trang City, shared: “Every day I go home from work on Vo Van Kiet and Tran Hung Dao streets. Every time I pass by in the evening, I see some people without awareness throwing garbage haphazardly along the roadside and the garbage gives off a strong stench from animal carcasses and household waste. Every few months, I see the government and mass organizations clean up, but not long after, new piles of garbage appear.”

To solve this problem, recently, Soc Trang city has stepped up propaganda to raise people's awareness of the harmful effects of solid waste on the environment and health. At the same time, it has instructed people on how to classify waste at source, dispose of waste in the right place and disseminate regulations on penalties for violations of solid waste management... In addition, the City People's Committee has assigned specialized agencies to sign a contract with Soc Trang Urban Construction Joint Stock Company to handle waste in the city.

"The amount of domestic waste in the city is collected and transported to the Solid Waste Treatment Plant of Soc Trang city and neighboring areas of Soc Trang province in Phu My commune, My Tu district (Soc Trang) to treat the waste using composting technology, producing plastic granules and sanitary landfill" - Vice Chairman of Soc Trang City People's Committee Tran Van Nhanh said.

It is not only in urban areas that littering occurs, in many rural areas, household waste also arises quite a lot. We can easily see spontaneous garbage dumps piled up next to inter-hamlet and inter-commune roads. Even people with a lack of awareness put household waste in plastic bags and throw them into the river, affecting the water source for daily life and production.

The monitoring delegation of the People's Council of Soc Trang province inspected a landfill in Ke Sach district (Soc Trang). Photo: KIM NGOC

Comrade Tran Van Hao - Vice Chairman of Chau Thanh District People's Committee (Soc Trang) said that recently, the District People's Committee has directed specialized agencies to promote propaganda activities to raise people's awareness of environmental protection, such as not littering on the streets, rivers, and canals. At the same time, Chau Thanh District coordinated with Soc Trang Urban Construction Joint Stock Company to collect household waste in the district. At the same time, the District People's Committee supported funding to buy garbage bins to be placed at the headquarters of the People's Committees of communes, towns, markets, public places and main roads in the district. Constructed incinerators for household solid waste on roads in locations where garbage collection vehicles cannot enter. From 2021 to present, Chau Thanh District has contracted with Soc Trang Urban Construction Joint Stock Company to collect, transport and treat waste in the district. In 2015, the People's Committee of Chau Thanh district received support from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) to build a domestic waste incinerator at the centralized landfill in Thuan Hoa commune with a capacity of 600kg/hour. However, by the end of 2021, the incinerator was damaged and no longer in use. Currently, the amount of waste collected at the landfill is treated by burying combined with daily spraying of microorganisms to limit odors and insects. The cost of collecting and treating domestic waste in the district from 2020 to present is over 8 billion VND.

Faced with the increase in waste, in recent years, the Provincial People's Committee has directed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) to coordinate with relevant departments and branches to advise and propose the issuance of regulations on the management of domestic solid waste in the province in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020. In addition, to raise awareness and responsibility of all levels, branches, organizations, businesses and the entire population in environmental protection, the Provincial People's Committee has requested functional departments, branches and localities to strengthen propaganda and dissemination of policies and laws on domestic solid waste management. Every year, the Provincial People's Committee assigns specialized agencies to carry out environmental protection activities and prevent plastic waste; integrate propaganda into environmental events.

During the period of 2021 - 2025, the Department of Agriculture and Environment organized 25 awareness-raising training courses with 20,000 participants. Distributed 39,500 leaflets instructing on plastic waste classification in households, limiting the use of plastic waste; installed 45 billboards and 16 electronic propaganda boards; 120 banners; 2,370 cloth hats; 2,830 cloth bags; 5,000 handbooks on environmental protection and plastic waste prevention... Organized campaigns to clear sewers, collect trash to clean water sources on river sections, canals, and coastal estuaries polluted by trash with over 25 trips. Coordinated with localities to collect and treat spontaneous garbage dumping sites and expand garbage collection areas to propagate the prevention of plastic waste, minimize littering and dumping into rivers, canals, and ditches.

Currently, the province has 1 centralized domestic solid waste treatment plant with a capacity of treating about 160 tons of domestic waste/shift (equivalent to 320 tons of waste/day), applying the treatment technology of sanitary landfill combined with composting and recycling, reusing plastic products. However, the operation of the composting process and reusing plastic products is not effective; domestic solid waste is treated at 36 landfills mainly by open dumping; of which, 5 landfills have domestic solid waste incinerators with a capacity of about 50 tons/day, not meeting the treatment needs, leading to overload and high risk of pollution. Management and operation at landfills still have many limitations, causing odors, untreated leachate, mainly stored to prevent overflowing outside.

In order to effectively treat domestic waste, in the coming time, Soc Trang province will promote investment attraction and implement projects on domestic solid waste management in the province. At the same time, complete the system of policies and mechanisms, and the management apparatus for domestic solid waste to promote the effectiveness of state management, improve the quality of collection, transportation and treatment of solid waste in the province. At the same time, complete the network of domestic waste collection and transportation. In addition, consolidate the organization of the network of units collecting and transporting domestic waste in the whole province to ensure the specific goals set for each stage...

KIM NGOC

Source: https://baosoctrang.org.vn/doi-song-xa-hoi/202505/soc-trang-no-luc-thu-gom-van-chuyen-va-xu-ly-rac-thai-sinh-hoat-97e6dc2/