A factory that can process 2,000 tonnes of waste a day for export will be built at a cost of $31 million in Soc Son District, Hanoi by AIC Company. According to the developer, this project will apply state-of-the-art technology to recycle rubbish for export.
Accordingly, rubbish will be divided into three types: recycled waste like rubber, plastic, paper; organic waste to be processed into compost fertilizer; and solid waste like construction material, ceramics, etc.
AIC’s director Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan said processed rubbish will be packed and exported to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The developers say the construction process will take between 5 and 7 months.
Once the factory is put into operation, it will help deal with a large volume of waste in Hanoi. The capital city currently discharges around 3,600 tonnes of waste per day. Most of it is buried, causing environmental pollution and accounting for large areas of land.
However, some Hanoi officials remain worried about this project. Le Xuan Rao, director of the Hanoi Department of Science and Technology, says the waste processing line is semi-automatic so waste classification will be conducted by workers. He called instead for automatic waste classification.
Meanwhile, Vu Van Hau, director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said that this project’s advantage is that it will export recycled waste so it will not cause pollution. However, developers are yet to make clear what can and can’t be exported and what provide evidence as to who will take this waste.
“The number of workers used to classify waste is high so working conditions are a matter of concern. In addition, in case the production line is broken, how will the factory deal with the waste in stock?” he questioned.
According to Hanoi’s vice chairman Vu Hong Khanh, the city Party Committee and the People’s Committee have approved this project. The city is now set to allocate land.