Decision No. 152/1999/QĐ-TTg Approving the Solid Waste Management Strategy for Urban Areas and Industrial Zones in Vietnam until 2020

DECISION

Regarding the approval of the Solid Waste Management Strategy for Urban Areas and Industrial Zones in Vietnam until 2020

Decision on approving the Solid Waste Management Strategy for Urban Areas and Industrial Zones in Vietnam until 2020

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PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Government Organization Law dated September 30, 1992;

Pursuant to the Environmental Protection Law adopted by the National Assembly, Session IX, on December 27, 1993, and promulgated by the President on January 10, 1994;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Construction submitted in the report No. 08/TTr-BXD dated February 23, 1999,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approves the Solid Waste Management Strategy for Urban Areas and Industrial Zones in Vietnam until 2020 with the following main contents:

I. OBJECTIVES:

Gradually establish a comprehensive system for solid waste management in urban areas and industrial zones to control pollution, protect the environment, and ensure sustainable development goals during the period of industrialization and modernization of the country.

1. Short-term objectives (until 2005):

- All provinces and centrally-administered cities complete the planning for solid waste management and disposal at urban areas and industrial zones, prioritizing the planning of sanitary landfill sites; close down unsanitary landfill sites; construct some facilities for processing solid waste into fertilizers when conditions permit;

- Separate hazardous waste from sources; initially separate household solid waste in urban areas;

- Collect, transport, and dispose of 75-90% of total generated solid waste, depending on each type of urban area and industrial zone;

- Thoroughly treat hazardous medical solid waste in large urban areas using advanced incineration technology; treat hazardous industrial solid waste using appropriate methods;

2. Long-term objectives (until 2020):

- Collect, transport, and dispose of 80-95% of total generated solid waste in urban areas and industrial zones;

- Thoroughly collect and treat hazardous medical solid waste in urban areas using advanced technology;

- Apply solutions for recovery and recycling of solid waste; Prioritize investment in building two centers for treating hazardous industrial solid waste in the two key economic regions in the North and South;

- Improve solid waste management in urban areas and industrial zones based on principles of legal uniformity, investment development, technical assistance, and inspection supervision.

II. MAIN SOLUTIONS:

1. Improving legal framework:

- Review and issue a set of guiding documents in the field of solid waste management to enhance the enforcement of the Environmental Protection Law;

- Issue "Regulations on Solid Waste Management" and "Regulations on Hazardous Waste Management" to detail the implementation of relevant provisions in the Environmental Protection Law;

- Develop a network plan for facilities handling medical and hazardous solid waste generated from industrial zones nationwide, serving as a basis for project approval and avoiding overlapping and wasteful investments;

- Issue standards for designing sanitary landfills; include land usage criteria for solid waste disposal in urban planning standards.

2. Enhancing public awareness and training capacity:

- Widely and regularly disseminate through mass media, guide public opinion to encourage and promote environmental protection activities; educate through regular activities of grassroots organizations, create a competitive spirit, build new living habits in residential areas of urban areas and industrial zones; publish and widely distribute educational materials on environmental protection, including solid waste management, suitable for different groups and regions;

- Incorporate environmental education programs into preschool, primary, secondary, and higher education levels, as well as vocational training programs of political and social organizations and professional associations;

- Strengthen and enhance the capacity of schools and specialized training institutions in solid waste management.

3. Reforming financial policies and creating funding sources:

- The Ministry of Construction shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to study and issue a framework for environmental sanitation fees and pricing for contracts on collection, transportation, and disposal of solid waste for each type of urban area and industrial zone according to the principle: initially ensuring sufficient operating costs for the collection, transportation, and disposal systems, gradually moving towards recovering investment costs for the State; based on this, localities shall issue specific fee rates suitable for their respective urban areas.

- Local authorities at all levels shall find ways to collect taxes and environmental sanitation fees accurately and fully within their jurisdiction; organizations and individuals responsible for paying fees for the collection and disposal of solid waste;

- Implement preferential policies on tax, credit, and land use to mobilize resources from the people and various economic sectors to invest in environmental protection, including solid waste management;

- Attract foreign resources;

- Implement preferential policies and reasonable distribution plans for budget funds, ODA funds, and long-term loans with favorable interest rates to invest in equipment and construction of solid waste treatment zones; provide loans to invest in solid waste management projects;

- Encourage economic sectors to participate in solid waste management and apply clean production technologies with less waste through preferential policies stipulated in the Domestic Investment Promotion Law (amended);

- The State encourages production units (especially consumer goods in urban areas) to conduct research to reduce post-consumption solid waste, such as rational use of input materials, changing product formulas, reducing packaging materials, changing consumption habits, etc.;

4. Improving the organizational model for solid waste management:

- Consolidate and enhance state-owned enterprises that are effectively operating in the collection, transportation, and disposal of solid waste.

Encourage economic sectors to participate in investment in solid waste management; carry out shareholding reform for state-owned enterprises operating inefficiently in this field; study the establishment of companies based on the operational model of public welfare state-owned enterprises.

5. Modernize technology and produce equipment and materials:

- Apply advanced technology suitable for Vietnam's conditions in the recycling, reuse, and treatment of solid waste;

- Import, and eventually produce domestically, equipment for collection, transportation, and treatment of solid waste;

- Research and apply standards and criteria in the following stages: selection of technology, design, construction, and operation of sanitary landfills; simultaneously invest in building hazardous waste treatment areas in accordance with advanced standards and technologies;

- Apply incineration technology for medical solid waste and hazardous industrial solid waste.

6. Strengthen cooperation and international relations:

Utilize government aid from various countries, non-governmental organizations, and other international funding sources for training, learning experiences, technology transfer, technical assistance, and financial support in the field of solid waste management.

Article 2. The Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Science and Technology and Environment shall coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Health, and relevant ministries and agencies to concretize the contents of the Solid Waste Management Strategy in urban and industrial zones until 2020; implement the Strategy; develop short-term and long-term plans to ensure effective implementation.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect fifteen days from the date of signature. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairpersons of provincial people's committees directly under the central government are responsible for enforcing this Decision.