The Cham Island (Source: vietnamtourism.com)

An official from the island commune’s people’s committee, Tran Quy Tay, confirmed to Vietnam News that the furnace, which was donated by Green Fields Development Investment Joint-stock Company, could help the island to deal with the garbage released daily by tourists and local islanders.

Tay said it is the first waste treatment project with updated technology installed at the island.

He said the garbage released daily is often either buried or converted into compost, while solid waste is burnt.

He said manual treatment results in air pollution or there is a risk of forest fire.

Around 3,000 inhabitants of Cham Island and tourists release three tonnes of garbage each day.

The island is the first location in Viet Nam which has successfully applied its non-use plastic bags and the 3-R (reduce, reuse and recycle) programmes since 2011.

The island’s management also has grown 4,800 colonies of coral on an area of 4,000sq.m since 2012, and the island is home to 1.26sq.km of coral reefs.

Cham Island, which was recognised as a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2009, started using fresh water in 2013, and expects to connect with power later this year.

It hosts around 100,000 tourists annually, 10 per cent of whom are foreigners.

The island’s administration offers top priorities for environmentally friendly technology solutions such as wind power and solar energy.

Last year, 350,000 tourists visited the Island.