Waste is a common problem faced in every society. Given the fact that waste management practices are not uniform throughout all countries, finding the right one that causes less environmental damage is still a challenge we face today.
Da Lat, a city in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, has recently incorporated a new waste incinerator system to manage its garbage. The system they use is that of Thai company Siam Incinerator.
A place with an average temperature of 18C, Da Lat is best known for its agriculture -- an occupation many of the locals engage in for a living. As most of the locals' produce is mainly derived from farming, the waste in Da Lat is mostly organic.
"In order to manage garbage properly, the first thing we need to understand is the type of waste we are about to handle," explained Ploysai Passornsiri, the managing director of Siam Incinerator. "Waste in Vietnam shares many similarities with that in Thailand. Most of it is wet rubbish."
Ploysai Passornsiri.
Over 180,000kg of rubbish is delivered to Da Lat's waste management centre daily. This is usually then broken down into 100 tonnes of organic waste which can be composted and turned into fertiliser. Some 10 tonnes are plastic which can be recycled. The rest is general waste which is then demolished.
"We make fertiliser from garbage and give it to people for free. Da Lat locals find it useful as most of them are agriculturists," Ploysai added. "It's our way of giving back to society."
Da Lat only has one incinerator at the moment and can handle 15 tonnes of waste at a day. A second incinerator of the same specification is currently being installed.
"Each incinerator has five chambers," Ploy explained, accounting for how each machine works. "The first chamber burns the rubbish while the rest are used for smoke combustion at temperatures that go up to 1,200C."
Ploy admitted that it is almost impossible for an incinerator to not release fumes, however she confirmed that the technology her company uses has been certified by both Thai and Vietnamese pollution control standards.
Do Phan Anh, assistant manager of Green Energy Environment -- the company responsible for waste management in Da Lat -- said that the town's officials had been researching incinerator systems and ended up choosing Siam Incinerator as it matched the town's requirements. But prior to the installation of the incinerator, the city used a landfill system to manage its waste.
"The landfill site pollutes the land which affects the quality of underground water," explained Ploysai. "Residences located nearby were also affected by the dump site. Another problem was the lack of garbage sorting before it was dumped, which made it very hard to manage and control."
Da Lat's waste management centre is located in the forest, 5km away from the city.
But the current waste management centre in Da Lat is located in the forest -- 5km away from the city.
On a national scale, the Vietnamese government has drawn up a four-year plan for the country's waste management which was put into effect in 2014. As part of the road map, a location for setting up waste management centres was provided. The government also funded its construction, decreased import tax and prolonged concession agreements. This has eased Siam Incinerator's investment in Vietnam. The company is now installing incinerators in many cities across the country.
"I consider waste management here successful as there is no objection from citizens. And we've received enough funding to keep it running. The machine also works as planned," said Ploysai.
Like Vietnam, Thailand also faces a big challenge with regards to its waste management. Take Bangkok, for example. Unfortunately, the amount of waste needed to be managed is far bigger than that of Da Lat. Currently, Bangkok produces approximately 10,800 tonnes of waste per day. In the capital city, after waste is collected, it is stored at three waste stations located in Sai Mai, Nong Khaem and On Nut. The first two are transfer stations while the last one serves as both a transfer station and a composting centre. Waste is later transported and dealt with using a landfill system operated by private companies which are located in Nakhon Prathom, Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao.
At the moment, two incinerators are being installed at the Nong Khaem centre, each of which handle 300 to 500 tonnes of waste per day. Construction is expected to be completed by October of this year.
But when it comes to waste management in Bangkok, the biggest problem now is the lack of landfill space. To solve this, the government has just launched a new plan for waste management, with incinerators and thermal power plants being mentioned along the way. But at the same time, the plan to set up a waste management centre is still being discussed between communities and the government.
Tara Buakamsri, director of Greenpeace Thailand, said that in order to come up with a solution for waste management in the city, choices should not only be limited to whether to use landfill system or incinerators because both approaches can cause pollution. Even though some incinerator companies claim they use clean technology, the truth is most incinerators are likely to pollute. Thus, public inspection on the environmental and health implications of these waste management systems should be put in place.
"We need to form an offensive policy to reduce the production of waste from the very first stage," suggested Tara. "Ecological waste management which addresses every possible type of waste must be applied. The good management of discarded materials can also boost our economy."
Da Lat's waste management system.
