Bulky household items and construction debris are being dumped on vacant land, roads and pavements in central Da Nang, and wards say fines and cameras have not stopped it, Báo Đà Nẵng reported on October 28. Reporters saw broken mattresses, tables, beds and cabinets as well as rubble left in places with few residents. Some people also leave such waste at communal rubbish-bin points.
In Sơn Trà ward, residents are told to take bulky waste free of charge to the transfer station on Vân Đồn street. Even so, a large cabinet and other litter were dumped on a pavement about 700 metres away, near the Vân Đồn–Trần Thánh Tông junction. Hòa Khánh ward has installed many cameras and stepped up inspections and fines, yet dumping continues; on October 25 it sent dump trucks and excavators to clear the sites.
Thanh Khê ward has run a pilot since April with Công ty TNHH Xây dựng công nghệ môi trường Toàn cầu to sort, collect and carry bulky and construction waste from households and organisations. The fee is below the market rate at the time, but few residents have signed up. A company representative told the paper people are reluctant to pay when dumping is free, and asked the ward to publicise the service and increase inspections and fines.
Hoàng Thị Ngọc Hiếu, deputy general director of Đà Nẵng Urban Environment JSC, said current rules make whoever generates waste pay for it. Household rubbish is charged on an estimate of 0.8–1.3 kg per person per day, while bulky and construction waste must be paid for separately. She said many residents refuse and instead dump it or hire small trucks to haul it to unauthorised sites.
Lê Thị Thành Huyên of Thanh Khê ward's economy division said the city needs a fundamental solution so localities can apply one approach. Several localities have asked for public land to be set aside as temporary stockpile sites until treatment projects start operating. The Department of Construction proposed that the People's Committee direct localities to count the temporary collection and transfer points that are running or planned, and to suggest sites where needed.
City Vice Chairman Trần Nam Hưng has told localities to plan, build and manage collection points in a modern, environmentally friendly way. He also ordered faster solutions for treating construction and bulky waste.
Sources
This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.
