UK waste treatment leader ReCycled Refuse International Group will invest 3.5 billion USD in public-private partnerships to build 15-20 waste treatment plants in Vietnam, says the group's local representative Le Trung Truc.

The plants would have a combined capacity to process 12.8 million tonnes of waste each year, said Truc, who is also deputy director of Hanoi-based Technology Trading and Investment Consultancy Co.

"We are negotiating with authorities in Hanoi and Hai Duong province in an attempt to begin construction on two facilities here next year," Truc said, noting that the sites for additional facilities would focus on other areas with a minimum demand for waste treatment of 300 tonnes per day, such as the cities of HCM City, Can Tho and Hai Phong, and the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, An Giang and Dong Nai.

ReCycled Refuse International Group was also seeking investment opportunities here in ethanol production, composite tyre disposal and recycling, and seawater desalinisation, Truc said.

Under regulations on public-private partnerships (PPP), the Government can invest up to 30 percent in projects in nine sectors, including environment and waste treatment.

Private partners, meanwhile, would receive corporate income tax preferences and exemptions from land use fees on land use rights allocated by the State. Imported materials or equipment needed to carry out the projects would also receive import tax preferences consistent with current regulations under the Law on Import and Export Taxes./.