VietNamNet Bridge - Small-scale incinerators, set up to treat waste and protect the environment, are causing pollution and spreading germs.

A report from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) shows there are about 50 domestic solid waste incinerators in the country, most of which are small scale, with capacity of less than 500 kg per hour. 

Two thirds of the incinerators are made and assembled domestically. 

Nguyen Thanh Yen from the Waste Management and Environment Improvement Agency said Vietnam tends to set up incinerators in every district to treat domestic waste in localities.

The solution, though it treats local waste immediately, is scientifically unreasonable. 

Yen said most of the incinerators have small capacity. It is difficult to control the emission of secondary pollutants into the air.

Incineration technology is considered out of date, while incinerators, especially the small ones, are discouraged and prohibited in many countries. 

Many years ago, Japan set up thousands of small-scale incinerators near residential quarters, and it took the country many years to settle the consequences caused by the incinerators.

Yen noted that there were not many choices for waste treatment technologies.

Meanwhile, foreign manufacturers have tried to transfer incineration technology to Vietnam as they are shifting to environmentally-friendly, non-combustion technology.

However, as there are no standards required for domestic waste treatment incinerators, it is difficult to control the import of incineration technology. Substandard incinerators could easily penetrate the Vietnamese market.

An analyst noted that small scale incinerators were a reasonable choice for Vietnam, because it would be more costly to operate standard incinerators with high temperatures and emission treatment systems.

Yen said that the 2014 Environment Protection Law, Decree No 38 and circulars will start a new period in environment management. 

With the new regulations, the incinerators and technologies which cannot meet the requirements will be prevented from being used in Vietnam.

MONRE is building up standards for domestic waste incinerators, which would serve as important technical criteria to which investors can refer to before determining what technologies to use.

Scientists say there are many good choices for domestic waste treatment. 

Domestic garbage, for example, can be treated well in cement furnaces. The outstanding feature of the solution is it would be not costly, because there are many cement furnaces in Vietnam.

Modern cement furnaces which run at high temperature and high capacity will not produce ash.

Meanwhile, some countries now apply technologies to convert waste such as coal and fertilizer into fuel.

Tin Tuc