|
|
Once operational, the factory would be able to recycle half of the solid waste daily generated in the capital, said Nguyen Van Luong, head of Ha Noi’s Division of Environmental Protection, Department of the Environment and Natural Resources.
Luong said residents in the capital produced about 5,000 tonnes of solid waste – 3,500 tonnes in urban areas and 1,500 tonnes in outlying areas. Most of the rubbish ends up on one of five tips, three of which are reportedly full.
|
Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, general director of Advanced International Joint Stock Company, the project’s investor, said people should not consider rubbish as waste but as a valuable resource.
Associate Professor Nguyen Phuong Nguyen, the company’s technology advisor, said the recycling factory and warehouse would occupy a 15ha area in Nam Son Commune, Soc Son District, and that about 1,000 tonnes of organic rubbish could produce 250 tonnes of compost.
He said the project’s investment capital was US$31 million, and that if approved, the plant could be operational within seven months.
Luong emphasised the advantages of the project.
"First, this recycling method would take the pressure off existing landfill sites. Second, recycled materials can be exported, which means that rubbish will no longer be clogging up the city. Furthermore, rubbish dumped in land-fill sites contaminates the water supply and is detrimental to air quality."
Nguyen said that the company planned to export compost made from organic waste to Malaysia to fertilise palm, coffee and rubber plantations. "Our partners in Malaysia want 1 million tonnes of compost each year," Nguyen said, adding that organic waste could also be used as fuel for power plants.
He said that inorganic material, such as cement, sand and brick, would be compressed and used as construction materials in dams, dykes or as foundation for roads.
Le Xuan Rao, director of Ha Noi’s Department of Science and Technology, said the project was inexpensive and would clean up the environment. "The project will be run under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) programme. It will occupy a small area of land and is of relatively low cost. The city will pay the company about $13.5 for each tonne of rubbish processed," he said.
Nguyen added that because households did not sort their rubbish it would have to be done manually at the factory and generate jobs.
"Machines cannot replace the role of workers because only humans can observe, check and pick up objects that are harmful to people and the machinery itself," he said.
Dang Quan