Construction of an industrial and hazardous waste treatment plant in HCM City’s Bình Chánh District kicked off on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Tình

HCM CITY — Construction of an industrial and hazardous waste treatment plant began on Friday at the Đa Phước Solid Waste Treatment Complex in Bình Chánh District.

The Mộc An Châu Logistics Corporation is the major investor in the plant, which covers 17 hectares and has a daily processing capacity of 500 tonnes.

Phạm Duy Tân, general director of the company, said the pilot operational period will begin in October next year, with official opening in September, 2021.

The plant processes and turns 70-90 per cent of waste into valuable materials and products.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Nguyễn Thành Phong, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the increasing amount of urban waste is affecting the environment and residents.

The total volume of solid waste discharged by urban areas has increased by 10 to 16 per cent on average each year.

The city has more than 2,000 factories and 10,000 other small- and medium-sized manufacturing facilities.

About 2,500 tonnes of industrial and hazardous waste are discharged every day, including about 400 tonnes of hazardous waste.

Industrial and hazardous wastes are expected to increase by 3,500 tonnes daily by 2025.

The city has 13 small-scale hazardous waste facilities with a total processing capacity of 250 tonnes a day.

“Building large-scale plants is necessary for the city’s sustainable development goals,” Phong said.

City authorities have created favourable conditions for investors to implement their environmentally friendly projects, he said.

Construction of two waste-to energy plants has begun at the Tây Bắc Solid Waste Treatment Complex in Củ Chi District. — VNS