Cause of the incident
Speaking to the press about the waste crisis in Da Nang last October, Mr. Nguyen Truong Son - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Da Nang City, said that the incident originated from an important link in the city's waste treatment system.
Specifically, in the waste treatment project of Da Nang (old), the area has been clearly divided: waste from localities such as Duy Xuyen, Dien Ban, Dai Loc is planned to be concentrated in the Northern area, managed by Huy Hoang ECO Environmental Joint Stock Company.
Meanwhile, districts and towns in the southern area will be treated by landfill at Khanh Son 2 landfill.
"The problem arose when Huy Hoang ECO Company was involved in the investigation of the police and had to stop operations. This has broken the established treatment flow, leading to an inevitable consequence of traffic congestion of household waste in residential areas in the Northern flow," Mr. Son explained.
He also frankly admitted: "As reported by the press, there was a traffic jam in the early stages of the incident." As soon as the incident occurred, the Department of Agriculture and Environment activated an emergency response mechanism.
Mr. Son said: "We have quickly directed the Department of Environment to coordinate with relevant local authorities to develop a plan to handle the situation.
After being agreed upon by the City People's Committee, the immediate solution has been vigorously implemented. That is to transfer all the congested waste to the southern landfill area, specifically Khanh Son 2 landfill, to bury and immediately relieve environmental pressure on residential areas".
Towards a sustainable waste treatment strategy
In addition to solutions, the leader of the Department of Agriculture and Environment affirmed that the city is building a longer-term, more comprehensive strategy to avoid repeating similar incidents in the future.
"Currently, the Department is continuing to coordinate with relevant agencies and departments to advise the City People's Committee to develop a sustainable handling plan. This plan includes coordinating with the police to clarify issues related to the operation of Huy Hoang ECO factory," said Mr. Nguyen Truong Son.
Last November, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Da Nang City also issued a document requesting agencies and units across the city to take the lead in reducing plastic waste and promoting waste classification at source.
The office must stop using single-use plastic bottles and plastic cups in all meetings, conferences and events. The leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment also requested to minimize other hard-to-decompose plastic items when not really necessary.
Departments, branches, sectors and localities are assigned to strengthen propaganda and integrate inspection of reducing disposable plastic items in shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions.
The document also clearly states that appropriate handling measures will be taken for non-compliance cases, in order to be determined to achieve the goal of building a civilized, clean and beautiful urban area.
