Mountains of accumulated domestic waste
Lao Dong Newspaper has had many reflections on the pollution situation at the domestic waste collection and landfill area of the old Song Cong city, also known as Tan My landfill (now Bach Quang and Ba Xuyen wards) in Thai Nguyen province.
Recently, this situation has continued to recur, especially after some heavy rains that caused wastewater from the domestic waste dump to overflow into people's agricultural farming areas.
Recorded by PV on April 19, the domestic waste dump is located outdoors, piled up like mountains. Garbage is overflowing, emitting a strong stench. Black wastewater from the landfill affects the surrounding environment.
Ms. Do Thi Huyen (Ly Nhan residential group, Ba Xuyen ward) said that for many years, local people have had to live with severe pollution.
People have repeatedly petitioned to handle the pollution situation but it has not been resolved definitively. Living like this will greatly affect health," Ms. Huyen complained.
Sharing the same frustration, Ms. Duong Thi Ninh (Ba Xuyen ward) said that her house is adjacent to the landfill, so it greatly affects her life.
Extremely polluted, people have suffered for a very long time. The stench is pungent, not only affecting health but also crops and livestock.
We really hope to have a plan to completely handle the pollution situation here, and at the same time relocate people to safe places, far from the landfill," Ms. Ninh said.
Also according to local people, the rain on April 17th, the black wastewater from the landfill flowed massively into the environment, affecting cultivated land and the lives of many households.
According to PV's investigation, Tan My landfill was once directly managed and operated by Song Cong Urban Environment and Construction Joint Stock Company (belonging to the old Song Cong City) with an area of more than 5ha.
When it was still operating, on average, this landfill received nearly 50 tons of domestic waste from the entire Song Cong City (old).
For many years, hundreds of thousands of tons of domestic waste have been collected here but have not been treated by technical measures, leaving negative consequences for the environment and people's lives.
The landfill needs to be closed soon
Talking to PV, Mr. Bui Phi Long - Production Director of Song Cong Environment Co., Ltd. said that Tan My landfill is located in the land area that has been allocated to Song Cong Environment Co., Ltd. to implement the waste treatment complex project.
According to Mr. Long, before July 2026, the company had lent land to Song Cong Urban Works and Environment Joint Stock Company to collect domestic waste. The management and operation of the landfill is the responsibility of this unit.
From July 2025, domestic waste will no longer be brought to this landfill and management will be handed over to us.
At the time of receipt, the current state of the landfill was as high as a mountain, the stench and water from the landfill had continuously flowed out, but functional agencies did not have a definitive handling plan," Mr. Long said.
To temporarily handle the pollution situation, Song Cong Environment Co., Ltd. has planted trees and dug a drainage ditch system around the landfill, but it is only a temporary solution.
The landfill is more than 5ha wide, so every time it rains, a large amount of wastewater overflows into the environment. To thoroughly treat it, the only way is to dig up, classify inorganic and organic waste, and then continue to treat the remaining wastewater.
We really hope that Thai Nguyen province will soon have a plan to close this landfill, not to let environmental pollution affect the company's operations and people's lives," said a representative of Song Cong Environment Co., Ltd.
Regarding this issue, at the end of March 2026, Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan - Vice Chairwoman of Thai Nguyen Provincial People's Committee assigned relevant units to propose solutions to handle the situation of waste and leachate at the landfill that has been buried (Tan My landfill) to ensure thoroughness and avoid environmental pollution.
In early April 2026, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thai Nguyen province issued document No. 3121 on solving the environmental problem at Tan My landfill in the direction of reviewing the volume of remaining waste. In case conditions are met to close the landfill, propose a plan according to regulations.
