In just seven months, the regulation on sorting household solid waste at the source, which the Environmental Protection Law stipulates, will officially take effect.

Members of associations and unions in Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District, ride bicycles to promote and encourage residents to sort and manage household waste. Photo: HOANG HIEP

Households, individuals, and organizations violating the regulations on sorting, collecting, and treating waste will face administrative penalties. Currently, local authorities and units are intensifying propaganda, guidance, and mobilization of families and production-business establishments to sort waste in ways suitable to local conditions, complying with the law from January 1, 2025.

Due to the distant and scattered waste collection routes, household waste in Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District, is only collected and transported to the Khanh Son Landfill once a week.

Therefore, to ensure environmental hygiene, many households, production, businesses, and service establishments actively sort and separate recyclable and reusable waste, selling recyclable waste to reduce the amount waiting for collection and prevent overflowing bins.

Additionally, they proactively sort and separately treat organic waste including leftover food, fruit peels, vegetable scraps, shrimp and fish waste to use as animal feed and fertilizer, reducing the odour caused by organic waste decomposition, especially during the hot season.

The People's Committee of Hoa Bac commune, in collaboration with the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Committee and other associations and unions, recently organized propaganda on the 2020 Environmental Protection Law and guided waste sorting at the source for residents in the villages of the commune.

Through these propaganda sessions, the locality continues to guide methods of waste classification at the source, collecting, and treating organic and recyclable waste according to specific criteria, aligned with the city's general method and local conditions.

In 2024, Hoa Bac Commune aims to complete waste sorting at the source for households and residential areas to establish habits and officially comply with the Environmental Protection Law from early 2025.

According to Article 75 of the Environmental Protection Law, household solid waste is classified into three main categories including recyclable and reusable waste, food waste, and other household waste including hazardous waste.

In urban areas, households and individuals must store food waste and other household waste in prescribed packaging before transferring it to licensed waste collection and transportation units. Food waste can be used as organic fertilizer and animal feed. In rural areas, the law encourages households and individuals to maximize the use of food waste for organic fertilizer and animal feed. Any food waste not used for these purposes must be transferred to licensed waste collection and transportation units.

According to the Hoa Vang District Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the district is coordinating with communes to propagate, guide, and train households, business establishments, and agencies to implement Plan No. 130/KH-UBND dated May 13, 2024, on waste sorting at the source in 2024 to comply with Article 75 of the 2020 Environmental Protection Law from January 1, 2025.

According to the Deputy Head of the Hoa Vang District Office of Natural Resources and Environment, Huynh Tan Bon, the Women's Union organisations at all levels across the district will play a key role in sorting organic waste. The district will strive to effectively implement the classification of waste at the source to comply with the Environmental Protection Law.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Natural Resources and Environment Office of Thanh Khe District, Ho Van Dung, informed that the unit and wards are organizing a number of propaganda, guidance, and training sessions for households, individuals, and organizations to implement the new regulations of the Environmental Protection Law.

They are also disseminating information on penalties for violations of the regulations on sorting, collecting, transporting, and treating ordinary and hazardous waste according to Government Decree No. 45/2022/ND-CP (Article 26). In 2023, Thanh Khe District fined two production-business establishments a total of VND 60 million for hazardous waste management violations.

As stated by the Deputy Inspector of the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Duong Tan Tai, a portion of household waste is considered resource waste due to its recyclability and reusability. In mid-April 2024, the municipal-based People's Committee issued a plan for waste sorting at the source in 2024. Initially, units and localities are propagating, guiding, and training waste sorting for households, individuals, and business establishments to officially and correctly implement it shortly and avoid administrative sanctions and penalties later.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP- Translating by TRUC VY