A garbage ground on Phan Van Tri Street in HCM City’s Binh Thanh District. — VNS File Photo Ngoc Hai.

HCM CITY — Garbage collection fees could significantly rise in HCM City from next year, with each household paying an average of VNĐ48,000 per month more, according to a decision of the HCM City People’s Committee.

Nguyễn Trường Thanh, a resident in the city’s Phú Nhuận District, said in October he was informed that garbage collection fees could double next year. 

Monthly garbage collection fees could range between VNĐ31,000 (US$1.3) and VNĐ75,000 ($3.2) per household in District 1, depending on the distance between each household and the nearest garbage depot, an official from the District 1 Division of Mineral Resources and Environment has said.

Residents of the suburban district of Hóc Môn could pay VNĐ41,000 per month for garbage collection, while Củ Chi residents would pay just VNĐ20,000 per month, according to sources from the divisions of Mineral Resources and Environment in these districts.

Thanh said an increase in garbage collection fees had been approved, but the plans for garbage sorting at source must now be approved by garbage collectors.

Lê Văn Thạnh, a resident of District 2, said along with the increase in collection fees, garbage collection units must be better managed by relevant agencies, and garbage should be collected at the same time every day, not two or three times per week.

The collection fees have been raised because of higher transportation costs.

According to figures from the city's Department of Mineral Resources and Environment, HCM City discharges 9,000 tonnes of household solid waste. The city pays over VNĐ2 trillion (US$86.5 million) per year from the city’s State budget for the collection, transportation and treatment of solid waste.

Under a decision issued in 2008, the average garbage collection fees of VNĐ15,000 to VNĐ25,000 per month paid by each household are just enough for garbage collection, while the remaining fees for garbage transportation and treatment must be covered or paid by the State budget.

To reduce pressure on the State budget and make polluters pay for garbage collection and treatment, the city's People’s Committee last year issued a decision to charge VNĐ364 per kg of waste collected by traditional methods and VNĐ166 per kg collected by motorized methods.

The decision also defines fees for transport of household solid waste, from VNĐ40 per kg in 2019; VNĐ133.5 per kg in 2020; VNĐ227 per kg in 2021, and VNĐ247 per kg in 2022.

It also sets out the maximum price of VNĐ475 per kg for treatment of household solid waste.

Thus, a household could pay a total of VNĐ110,000 to VNĐ150,000 per month for garbage collection, transportation and treatment.

The new garbage collection, transportation and treatment fees could be applied by 2022.

A resident of Bình Thạnh District who declined to be named said a four-member household that discharges about 4kg of solid waste would pay garbage collection fees of 59,000 per month in 2020. The fees will increase to VNĐ130,000 per month in 2022.

With the garbage collection and transportation fees under the city's recent decision, the State must pay a small part of the garbage collection, transportation and treatment in the 2019-21 period, according to Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mỹ, the deputy director of the city's Department of Mineral Resources and Environment.

As garbage collection fees will increase periodically, HCM City residents will be scheduled by 2022 to pay all costs for garbage collection, transportation and treatment. — VNS