Waste map to help Vietnam turn waste into resources

Hanoi (VNA) – A webinar on measures to optimise the exploitation of solid
waste potential in Vietnam in order to turn waste into resources, was held by the Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition (VIETSE) on July 19, bringing together experts, and
representatives from environment organisations and development partners.
According
to Tran Hoang Anh, an energy analyst at the VIETSE, his agency is
conducting researches on solutions to optimise the country's solid waste
potential and one of the important tools being developed by this centre is the
daily solid waste map at urban and industrial scale.
This
map is developed based on survey data on the amount of daily solid waste released per capita in provinces and cities, and the commune-level population
survey data. The analysis results are visualised on the geographic information system
(GIS).
The
map’s information system displays data on solid waste management in medical, construction and industrial sectors; management of waste treatment facilities; collection
and treatment activities of garbage and domestic solid waste.
In addition to high security, this system also easily shares data with users on
Google's cloud computing platform, easily updates data remotely, provides the possibility
for many users at the same time to co-edit, providing data analysis and
synthesis tools in accordance with different topics.
The map is expected to help identify the future potential of this field in the energy
transition process towards reducing environmental pollution and protecting the
climate, Anh said.
It will also
support the decision-making process of investment in solid waste treatment
projects, as well as develop effective waste management and treatment policies,
contributing to the energy and environmental protection sectors’ development,
he added.
Sharing international experience, Hans Breukelman, Director
of BreAd company - a member of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) of the Netherlands, underlined the
importance for cooperation among parties, including governments, businesses,
communities and people, for waste treatment, saying that public-private
cooperation will play an essential role in this scheme.
Participants discussed waste treatment experience and technologies, and the
ability to apply those in Vietnam in the most effective way in order to turn
waste into a resource, contributing to helping the country develop a circular
economy, reduce environmental pollution towards releasing the goal of net-zero-emission
by 2050.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the
volume of collected solid waste doubled between 2015 and 2019, from 32,400
tonnes per day to 65,000 tonnes per day, in which 35.600 tonnes per day (over
50%) came from urban areas although the rural population is twice as high as
urban areas.
In 2019, only 85% of the collected solid waste was treated in the way
meeting the national technical standards, up 10% compared to the figure in
2015. The Government aims to increase the ratio to 90% for urban waste and 85% for
rural waste by 2025, and reach 100% by 2050./.