The issue of sorting household solid waste at source is becoming increasingly urgent. From January 1, the Environmental Protection Law will make waste sorting a mandatory requirement, with administrative penalties for non-compliance.

More businesses have been introducing schemes to recycle waste, Photo: Duy Tan Recycle

Dang Huu Binh, deputy general director of the Hanoi Urban Environment Company (URENCO), said that the city has implemented waste sorting in the districts of Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, and Nam Tu Liem.

On average, around 380 tonnes of recyclable waste are collected daily, along with over 250 tonnes of bulky waste and more than 200kg of hazardous waste, such as batteries. Hoan Kiem has implemented the most successful programme in Hanoi thus far, collecting over 330 tonnes of waste daily, accounting for 89 per cent of the total collected.

“Sorting waste at source not only brings positive results for the environment but also benefits the businesses and localities that implement it,” Binh said. “As people’s awareness improves, it will change the way waste is collected and transported. A portion of the waste will be recycled and returned to serve daily life, reducing production costs for businesses and saving collection and recycling costs for the government.”

According to URENCO, the cost of processing each tonne of unclassified waste is around $20. Source separation is expected to help Hanoi save approximately $3,600 per month in government expenditure.

Data from the Environmental Pollution Control Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment showed that Vietnam generates around 67,000 tonnes of household waste daily, with urban waste accounting for about 60 per cent. Large cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City each generate over 6,000 tonnes and 9,500 tonnes of waste daily, respectively, with landfill rates as high as 90 per cent.

Landfilling not only puts immense pressure on the waste treatment system but also increases the risk of environmental pollution. While many developed countries are focusing on turning waste into resources, Vietnam is still wasting significant resources from its waste.

Vital at all stages

Vu Minh Duc, senior advisor at the Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam, stated that almost all waste is recyclable in Norway.

“Household waste, such as organic waste, food, and plastics, will be actively sorted by residents at home before being collected by city authorities. Afterward, it will be processed to create valuable resources, such as fuel for buses instead of diesel, carbon dioxide that can be used to supplement plant growth, while the remaining waste is turned into organic fertiliser for agriculture,” Duc said

Norway is currently a decade ahead of other EU countries in the fight against plastic waste, with a recycling rate of up to 97 per cent. Through its circular economy action plan, the country is also looking to reduce the need for new natural resources in production, focusing instead on reuse and recycling to generate less waste.

“Co-processing is an area where Norway has expertise and has successfully piloted in Vietnam. Vietnam has a high level of plastic waste, and our projects focus on all stages of collection, recycling, and treatment, including plastics that cannot be recycled,” he added.

According to the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank, Vietnam is wasting nearly $3 billion annually by not recycling all household plastic waste, while almost 70 per cent of organic waste is not recycled, leading to a waste of over $30 billion each year.

To address the surplus of household waste, businesses have been actively adopting and implementing initiatives to recycle and transform household waste into resources.

Effective means

In January, Bamboo Capital Group completed a deal with Tam Sinh Nghia, entering the waste-to-energy sector. Just six months later, the Tam Sinh Nghia waste-to-energy plant broke ground, contributing to optimising recycling efficiency and reducing waste in urban areas.

Dr. Hoang Trung Thanh, a member of Bamboo Capital’s Board of Directors, said, “The waste-to-energy solution is an effective way to deal with waste, especially as the amount of waste in urban areas increases by 10 per cent each year due to population growth.”

In addition, Bamboo Capital is building a comprehensive circular ecosystem, with close cooperation among its member companies. BCG Energy, a member of the Bamboo Capital ecosystem, is constructing a waste-to-energy plant at the North-West Solid Waste Treatment Complex in Cu Chi district in Ho Chi Minh City, with a processing capacity of 2,000 tonnes per day, expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Meanwhile, the ash and slag remaining from the waste incineration process will be recycled into building bricks by Tracodi, another member of Bamboo Capital. These products will be used not only in Tracodi’s construction projects but also in BCG Land’s real estate projects.

Under the 2020 Environmental Protection Law, from January 2025, those who fail to sort their waste or dispose of it at the wrong time or place may have their waste collection services refused. However, to accelerate the process of sorting and recycling effectively, many experts believe that Vietnam needs to introduce policies that encourage businesses to invest in waste recycling.

Pham Minh Nguyet, business development manager at Alba Group in Vietnam, said that the company is interested in investing in Vietnam, but for the project to benefit society and have a social impact, a suitable investment environment and government incentives are needed.

“To draw in foreign investment in waste recycling, the Vietnamese government should continue to implement policies on waste collection and sorting at source, and require businesses to use recycled plastics in packaging products,” Nguyet said.

“From the implementation of the extended producer responsibility policy, I have seen positive development directions in Vietnam and expect that in the next five years, Alba will continue to invest in additional projects in the country.”

Dr. Muthukumara S. Mani, lead environmental and climate change economist for Southeast Asia at the World Bank, said that Vietnam needed additional financial mechanisms to increase efficiency in collection and recycling. “The financial gap for the circular economy is projected to range from $426 billion to $1.2 trillion by 2040. For Vietnam, this financial gap is estimated to be $28-40 per tonne of plastic for collection and $24-40 per tonne of plastic for recycling,” Mani said.