Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Tran Hong Ha told the press on the sidelines of the ongoing National Assembly session that the collection of domestic waste treatment fees based on the amount of waste is included in the draft of the amended Environment Protection Law. 

Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Tran Hong Ha

If the draft law is approved, people will pay a waste collection and treatment fee based on the amount of waste they produce.

Nguyen Thuong Hien, deputy head of Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MONRE) said at a press briefing introducing the draft law, that the “polluter-pays principle” will encourage people to reduce, reuse, recycle and classify the waste at source.

As it is impractical to calculate waste by weight, it is highly possible that the waste will be measured in volume. Waste would be put into bags which will show the volume in cubic meters.

According to Ha, the method of charging fees based on volume in bags of different colors is being applied in many countries.

After the amended law is ratified, ministries will have the responsibility of setting up regulations to guide the implementation of the law. 

Asked about the feasibility of the plan, Ha said it took South Korea 10 years to implement the method. The key to the success lies in people’s awareness of waste classification at source. If they support the solution, the plan will succeed.

Asked about the feasibility of the plan, Ha said it took South Korea 10 years to implement the method. The key to the success lies in people’s awareness of waste classification at source. If they support the solution, the plan will succeed.

The state will have to make big investments in technology to synchronize the links in the process, from waste transportation and waste classification to treatment. The state will set sanctions to punish violators, but people in general will supervise the implementation of the solution.

The public may be against it as they will have to pay more for waste treatment. Ha said that demands are different. Many people are willing to pay, but the poor are not. Therefore, the state may consider giving support to some people to enure that service providers can make enough profit to maintain production activities.

If waste can be sorted at source, the amount of waste that needs to be treated would be reduced and payment for waste treatment would decrease.

Ha said the government needs to consider waste as a resource and there should be a waste treatment industry. Investors will pour money into waste treatment projects if they find that profits are high enough. 

Le Ha

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