05/03/2020
In economic activities, solid waste is generated from production and consumption process. Solid waste management is implemented in many different forms; in Việt Nam, the most common is collection, transportation, landfilling and discharging into the environment. This management method has caused environmental pollution and wasted raw material sources utilized from waste. So which management model will be more appropriate (reduce, reuse, recycle (3R), cleaner production, sustainable consumption…) to achieve economic goals and solve environmental problems? A new, effective and feasible approach is not only to apply international experience, but also to stem from the previous practice of Việt Nam, which is the solid waste management approach based on circular economy model.
The current state of solid waste generation and management
Generation and management of solid waste in the country
Together with the increase in population, the development of manufacturing industries and the increase in consumption has increased the amount and composition of waste. Regarding domestic solid waste generated in Việt Nam, which includes common domestic waste and hazardous domestic waste, it has different characteristics depending on specific geographical areas. Domestic solid waste in urban areas in Việt Nam currently accounts for more than 50% of the total domestic solid waste in the country, accounting for 60 - 70% of the total urban solid waste. The generated domestic solid waste amount is estimated at 25,5 million tons/year, of which urban domestic solid waste accounts for about 38.000 tons/day and rural domestic solid waste accounts for 32.000 tons/day.
Domestic solid waste generated in the period of 2013 - 2017
|
No |
Year |
Volume of urban domestic solid waste generated (tons/day) |
Volume of rural domestic solid waste generated (tons/day) |
|
1 |
2013 |
30.000 |
22.000 |
|
2 |
2014 |
32.000 |
25.000 |
|
3 |
2015 |
34.000 |
27.000 |
|
4 |
2016 |
37.000 |
29.000 |
|
5 |
2017 |
38.000 |
30.000 |
Source: Compiled by MONRE
From the above table, from 2013 to 2017, the urban and rural solid waste generation amount increased steadily over the years, proving that there has been no effective management approach to reduce the waste generation amount.
In Vietnam, hazardous solid waste is often mixed with common domestic solid waste and taken to landfills, including: Electronic devices, pharmaceuticals, used chemicals, batteries... Although the amount generated is not much, there is a potential risk to human health. Other types of solid waste such as construction solid waste accounting for 25% of the total solid waste in Hà Nội, Hồ Chí Minh City and 12 - 13% in An Giang, Bắc Giang, Hải Phòng; Industrial solid waste mainly arises from industrial zones and clusters; Industrial hazardous waste accounts for 15 - 20% of industrial solid waste, mainly generated in light industry, metallurgy and chemicals; Medical solid waste arises from medical activities, with the amount of about 450 tons/day, of which 47 - 50 tons are hazardous waste; The generated agricultural solid waste amount includes 14.000 tons of pesticide and fertilizer packaging, 76 million tons of straw, 47 million tons of livestock waste. In addition, there are some other specific types of solid waste such as electronic waste and marine plastic waste - the two "hot" issues in Việt Nam, but there are currently no official statistics on the generation of these types of waste. According to a 2012 World Bank study, in middle-income countries like Việt Nam, the amount of plastic waste generated accounts for about 12% of total waste. Việt Nam is considered as one of the countries generating the highest amount of marine plastic waste in the world.
Thus, the generated solid waste amount in the country is quite large with the trend increasing steadily over the years, the amount of solid waste in urban areas is higher than in rural areas, some types of solid waste, especially electronic waste and marine plastic waste, are increasing rapidly. It is worth noting that domestic solid waste in Việt Nam has mixed characteristics, in which many types of waste, including hazardous waste, are landfilled. From the above practice, it is necessary to have an appropriate management approach to minimize the amount of solid waste, aiming to achieve zero solid waste discharge to the environment.
Generation and management of imported solid waste
Recently, enterprises of some countries in the world have taken advantage of the policy on allowing the import of scrap as raw materials for production to transport solid waste into other countries, especially developing countries, including Việt Nam. In Việt Nam, there is a quite great demand for solid waste such as steel, plastic, paper for recycling as raw materials for domestic production.
Scrap imports in 2017 and 2018
|
Year |
Plastic scrap (thousand tons) |
Paper scrap (thousand tons) |
Iron and steel scrap (thousand tons) |
Other scrap (thousand tons) |
Total (thousand tons) |
|
2017 |
385,5 |
1.441,8 |
4.816,0 |
1.302,9 |
7.946,2 |
|
2018 |
381,8 |
2.063,2 |
5.741,5 |
1.067,8 |
9.254,3 |
Source: General Department of Vietnam Customs
From the above table, the volume of solid waste import in scrap form in 2018 has increased by 1.308,1 thousand tons, compared to 2017. It is due to the prohibition of importing scrap into China, therefore, countries that previously exported solid waste to China such as the US, Japan, South Korea, Canada…, now have shifted to export to Việt Nam. Notably, for plastic waste, only in the first 6 months of 2018, Việt Nam has imported 274,7 thousand tons of plastic scrap, an increase of more than 200% over the same period in 2017 (the first 6 months of 2017, 132,4 thousand tons were imported). Under this circumstance, since July 2018, Việt Nam has strengthened the management, inspection and control of imported solid waste products in scrap form; therefore, in the last 6 months of 2018, the total amount of plastic solid waste imported into Việt Nam is only 107,1 thousand tons, a decrease of 250% compared to the first 6 months. However, the number of containers containing solid waste scrap left in ports has increased due to the failure to meet the import conditions prescribed by Việt Nam.
Thereby, it also reflects the fact that domestic production requires a large amount of input materials, namely scrap solid waste (plastic, iron, steel, paper and other scrap materials) that need to be cleaned to be up to the prescribed standards, which shall bring about economic benefits.
Orientation of solid waste management based on the circular economy model
The circular economy is a feasible approach to address the relationship among economic growth and economical and efficient use of natural resources and environmental protection towards a zero-waste economy, which is to replace the linear economy approach. This means that the exploitation and use of natural resources can only take place once, after that, the materials are recovered and reused, recycled in sectors and fields of economic activities. The circular economy is interpreted based on the principle of the law of conservation of matter and energy, compared to the 3R approach, the circular economy is more expanded.
Simulation of the circular economy model operation
Source: (Fabrice Mathieux, 2017)
From the figure above, the management approach based on circular economy model is based on economic efficiency, consistent with the operation of the market economy institution, which therefore will be the driving force for enterprises to invest in this model, if there is the right orientation and appropriate policy mechanisms, the circular economy will gradually replace the linear economy.
In solid waste management, the approach based on circular economy model will be highly feasible, especially solid waste such as plastic, steel, paper and other types of input solid waste for production, creating products that are demanded by the market.
Opportunities and challenges of solid waste management based on circular economy in Việt Nam
Opportunities: Approaching and implementing the circular economy is a global trend, with success proven in many countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore... Especially, in some Nordic countries such as Denmark and Sweden, the circular economy model has brought high efficiency, thorough handling of solid waste landfilling, even leading to lack of solid waste for production inputs.
Facing the situation of large solid waste generation and lack of appropriate treatment approach, solid waste landfilling still being the main form of waste handling, the implementation of the circular economy model towards zero waste generation is a great opportunity to deploy a solution, in line with the Party's policy on sustainable development.
Encouraging and creating mechanisms for the development of the private sector is consistent with the market economy institution. This will be an opportunity for private investors to invest in implementing the circular economy models in solid waste treatment.
Việt Nam has been in the process of implementing the Industrial Revolution 4.0, which is a good opportunity to develop models in solid waste treatment associated with high technology.
Reality shows that the shortage of resources, along with the great demand to import solid waste in scrap form, is an opportunity to rise the implementation to a higher level in the direction of developing the circular economy models.
Challenges: First, the implementation of the circular economy model in solid waste management requires proper awareness in the implementation process, from the design to the implementation in sectors and fields, enterprises, people and state management levels to create consensus.
Second, the solid waste management based on the circular economy model requires waste separation at source, which has not been done in our country. Solid waste still a mix of many different components, even with hazardous waste.
Third, the legal framework does not exist to implement the circular economy in general and the solid waste management based on the circular economy model in particular.
Fourth, for the strategies, planning and implementation plans related to solid waste, the concept of solid waste management model based on the circular economy is yet to be established.
Fifth, as solid waste is generated from many different sectors and fields, the implementation of solid waste management approach based on the circular economy model requires the coordination of many stakeholders.
Proposing the orientation of solid waste management based on the development of the circular economy model in Việt Nam
First, to implement solid waste management based on the circular economy model, it is necessary to have a clear legal framework for the formation and development of the circular economy models in general and the solid waste management based on the circular economy in particular. The countries that have experience in implementing the circular economy all have clear laws and regulations. Việt Nam should have a roadmap, and to formulate a law on the development of the circular economy models.
Second, it is necessary to conduct an extensive research on the solid waste management based on the development of circular economy model. First of all, it is necessary to select the preferred type of waste, the implementation method, then to replicate (the circular economy model should first be done for plastic, iron and steel, paper wastes).
Third, the implementation of solid waste management based on the development of circular economy models needs to evaluate and consider the successes and failures of the existing models that are similar to the criteria of the circular economy model (such as 3R); at the same time, to supplement, finalize and make appropriate choices for each sector and field.
Fourth, to create a mechanism to form market driving forces based on the criteria of investment efficiency, encouraging enterprises and people, especially the private sector, to invest in implementing the circular economy model for solid waste.
Fifth, to enhance information exchanges and learning from international experiences, especially countries that have successfully implemented the circular economy model for solid waste, then to transfer and apply it in the actual context of Việt Nam. As the circular economy models are associated with high technology and the Industry Revolution 4.0, it is necessary to create mechanisms and policies for clean technology development, reduction, reuse and recycling of waste. Waste must be a resource in the economy, both in terms of production and consumption.
Sixth, the implementation of the approach based on the circular economy model for solid waste management requires policies and tools for waste separation at source, avoiding the currently long-lasting situation as the waste is not separated before transporting to the treatment site.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Thế Chinh - Director
Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment
(Source: Vietnam Environment Administration Magazine, English Edition III - 2019)
