A ground-breaking ceremony was held on November 22 to commence the construction of a solid waste treatment facility in Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City, which will be able to generate electricity from waste.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the Tasco Cu Chi plant. (Photo: VNA)

The plant is invested in by Tasco at a cost of nearly VND1 trillion (US$43 million) and will be able to handle 500 tonnes of waste a day.

The facility is scheduled to begin operations after 24 months of construction and its capacity could be increased if required.

According to Chau Phuoc Minh, a representative of Tasco, waste will be converted into electricity with high efficiency, while reducing the emissions of smells and pollutants.

He added that organic waste will be used to produce fertilisers, while bricks will be manufactured from the ashes.

Commenting on the project, Finnish waste treatment expert, Asko Ojaniemi, stated that the Tasco Cu Chi plant will be built in line with the circular economy village model with the aim of reducing waste to zero.

Finnish environmental organisations will provide technical support in order to make the plant a successful model in converting waste into fuels and materials for production.

Ho Chi Minh City currently discharges 9,000 tonnes of solid waste each day, of which more than three quarters are buried in landfills and nearly one tenth burned without generating electricity.

The city is aiming to reduce the ratio of solid waste disposed at dumping sites to 50% by 2020 and 20% by 2050, through calling for investment in advanced waste treatment technologies./.

( VNF/NDO )