Nguyen Trung Viet, head of the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s solid waste management division, said advanced technology was needed to deal with the increasing volume of waste in the city.
Speaking at a conference on Thursday in HCM City, he said companies would use an online form, called an e-manifest, to declare waste and pay environmental charges.
Previously, companies used a registration book in which they included information submitted to the department.
Around 6,400 tonnes of solid waste are produced in the city each day from daily activities.
Additionally, every day, nearly 1,500 tonnes are discharged from construction activities, and nine to 11 tonnes from medical waste. About 250cu.m of waste are released from cesspools.
Because all landfills are located in the outskirts of the city, about 970 vehicles are needed to carry the waste.
Viet said the department could not manage the operation of these vehicles and some often leave the waste illegally at unauthorised places.
He said the department could attach a microchip on every vehicle transporting waste and use a global positioning system (GPS) to track the vehicle’s direction.
The chip could also be used to monitor the amount of liquid waste contained in tank carriers by preventing illegal sales of the liquid when the vehicles are travelling on the road.
Companies involved in transporting and treating hazardous waste would be equipped with an internet-based tool called an e-card.
The e-card would update information about waste and waste treatment via a website belonging to the department, Viet said.
The information would help the department monitor the treatment of waste, he said.
A training course will be held today on how to use the e-card for staff of 30 hospitals. Health facilities discharge a huge volume of medical waste every day.
P.Hoa -V.S