France-financed Waste Treatment Plant Inaugurated in North Vietnam

A waste treatment plant mostly funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has been inaugurated in Vietnam’s northwestern province of Lao Cai, marking it the northwest’s biggest, state media reported. Costing an investment of VND81.25 billion ($3.6 million), including 81.6% sourced from AFD, the plant is designed to treat roughly 147 tons of waste per day to process into organic and mineral fertilizer. The plant is expected to help the province realize its environmental goal of handling the solid waste produced by Lao Cai city, the area borders with China, and the surrounding urban areas by 2015. Up to 65% of the total volume is organic waste but households do not classify the waste at site, troubling the treatment though local authorities have been launching campaigns to raise people’s awareness of waste classification. Vietnam discharges around 15 million tons of solid waste per year. The majority of them were disposed at uncontrolled open dumping sites. Solid waste collection ability could only serve 70% of the urban population. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Vietnam – Vietnam Economic Times Oct 6 p3)