Wholesale markets see a drop in waste

Partial processed agricultural goods at Binh Dien Wholesale Market in HCM City's Binh Chanh District. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The volume of waste relative to the total agricultural produce reaching focal points in Ho Chi Minh City has tended to decrease thanks to partial processing at source, according to the city people’s committee.

Since 2018 city authorities have been exhorting shopkeepers at wholesale markets and relevant authorities in the provinces of Lam Dong and Ben Tre, the two major suppliers of agricultural produce to the city, to ban unprocessed agricultural products.

The people’s committee said the waste that came with meats, vegetables and fruits to the Binh Dien wholesale market in Binh Chanh district, Thu Duc wholesale market and Hoc Mon wholesale market last year was 173 tonnes per night, 60-65 tonnes less than in 2018.

Over 9,200 tonnes of goods are delivered to the three markets daily.

The managements of the three markets have to spend a combined 8.5 billion VND (more than 365,000 USD) a year to collect, clean, decontaminate, transport, and treat the waste.

Le Huynh Minh Tu, deputy director of the city Department of Industry and Trade, said the city would continue with the programme of partial processing at source by working more closely with related departments of Lam Dong province and tightening regulations on the supply of goods to wholesale markets to reduce the amount of waste being dumped in the city./.

VNA