More than 20 years and still not completed
According to the investigation of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, the waste-to-energy plant project in Dong Son ward, former Bim Son town, now Bim Son ward, Thanh Hoa province, was granted an investment incentive certificate by Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee in 2004.
The project is expected to thoroughly solve the waste problem of Bim Son town in the past and neighboring areas. However, after more than 20 years of implementation, after many extensions, the project has not been completed.
Previously, the project had been transferred through many investors. In 2017, the project was handed over to Tianyu Thanh Hoa Environment Energy Co., Ltd. as the investor, with a land use area of more than 10ha.
According to the plan, the plant has a treatment capacity of 1,000 tons of domestic solid waste per day and night, divided into 2 phases. In which, phase 1 has a capacity of 500 tons/day and night and phase 2 has a capacity of 500 tons/day and night. The total investment of both phases is about 90 million USD.
For phase 1, the project is expected to start construction in January 2018 and be completed and put into operation in June 2019. However, the investor has not fulfilled its initial commitment and has repeatedly requested an extension of the progress.
Talking to a reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, a representative of the leaders of Bim Son Ward People's Committee confirmed that the waste treatment plant project is being implemented very slowly. To date, the project has been extended for the 5th time but has not been completed.
In the 5th extension in August 2025, Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee requested the investor to accelerate progress, complete and put the project into operation no later than December 2026.
Although the extension decision clearly stated the completion deadline, according to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters' records at the end of July 2026, the project has only built some items, including house frames and some auxiliary works.
At the construction site, workers and machinery are still constructing the foundation. Most of the project area is still vacant land, materials and equipment are scattered. With the remaining workload, the project is facing great pressure, making it difficult to complete according to the progress required by the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee.
Overloaded landfill, wastewater overflows fields
The project's delay in progress for a long time has greatly affected the waste treatment work at the Nui Voi landfill. Because this landfill is located right next to the project, has been overloaded for many years and causes serious environmental pollution.
According to people living near the Nui Voi landfill, the landfill has an area of more than 3ha, operating since the 2000s. After decades of receiving waste, the landfill has become seriously overloaded, and garbage is piled up into large blocks.
Not only is there a strong stench, black wastewater from the landfill also flows directly into the environment, fields and crops of people, making everyone upset" - Mr. Bui Van Hung (resident in Bim Son ward) said.
Real-world records of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters show that garbage at the landfill is piled up into many layers, while garbage trucks are still continuously coming in and out to dump garbage.
At the canal system around the landfill, black wastewater flows into the environment. To limit this situation, the landfill operating unit has dug many wastewater collection pits.
However, according to observations, black wastewater from the landfill does not flow into collection pits but overflows into ditches and canals and then flows into people's fields.
In this area, there is also a situation of garbage being dumped overflowing into people's roads, instead of gathering in the central area of the landfill, affecting the travel and lives of local people.
