Hazardous industrial waste management in Vietnam- current status and future direction

Abstract This article concentrates on the existing situation of hazardous industrial waste management in Vietnam. To realize the importance of the development of a Vietnam national strategy based on the reduce, reuse, recycle (3R) concept to the year 2020, the author summarizes the prac-tice of recycling activities of hazardous industrial waste and discusses the challenges arising from increases in the quan-tity and types of waste and the level of hazard of the waste generated considering that the technical infrastructure for handling and managing the waste is inadequate and the legal system on environmental protection is lacking. In order to improve the existing situation of hazardous indus-trial waste management, the Vietnamese Government recently has played an increasing role in promoting regional and international cooperation on environmental protection through ratifying the international conventions on the envi-ronment including the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal and the International Labor Organization Con-vention on Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work and by adhering to the concept of the material-cycle society. These steps are key opportunities for applying the principles of 3R to the recovery of value from hazardous waste in the future.

Key words Hazardous waste · Industrial waste manage-ment · Environmental impacts · Recycling Current status of hazardous industrial waste

in Vietnam

Generation and components

Vietnam is developing rapidly and undergoing urbaniza-tion; according to the Vietnamese Governmental Decree No. 72/2001/ND-CP dated October 5, 2001, titled Classi? ca-tion and Management of Urban Towns, six categories of urban towns were classi? ed based on the function, popula-tion, and population density of the town. There were 679 urban towns up to the year 2005, which is 40% greater than the number in the 1990s. Of these, 2 cities are of the special class; 3 cities are ? rst class; 13 cities are in the second cate-gory; 21 are in the third category; 54 are in the fourth cate-gory, and 586 are in the ?fth category, according to the classi? cation criteria for urban towns in Vietnam.

There has also been a rapid growth in the establishment of industrial zones in recent years, with a total of more than 120 concentrated industrial zones in the year 2005. The industrial zones are mainly located in the South, in the Red River delta, and in the coastal zone of the central region.

The development of industrial areas has generated a large quantity of solid waste, especial hazardous wastes. A recent inventory of hazardous waste in the country indi-cated that the main industrial sectors generating hazardous wastes are electrical mechanics, food processing, chemicals, mechanical, and metallurgy. The average data on hazardous waste generated from major industries in 33 provinces in Vietnam are shown in Table 1.

According to the National Environmental Status Report by the Ministry of National Resources and Environment (MONRE) of 2004, most of the industrial solid waste pro-duction is concentrated in the key economic regions in the south of Vietnam. Typical components of industrial hazard-ous waste in Dong Nai Province – one of the southern eco-nomic regions – is illustrated in Fig. 1. A summary of a survey on the components of industrial hazardous waste in Vietnam is shown in Table 2.

J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2009) 11:258–262? Springer 2009 DOI 10.1007/s10163-009-0239-3

Nguyen Thi Kim Thai

Hazardous industrial waste management in Vietnam: current status and future direction

N.T.K. Thai

Centre for Environmental Engineering of Towns and Industrial

Areas (CEETIA), University of Civil Engineering, 55 Giai Phong

Road, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam

Tel. +84-4-8693405; Fax +84-4-8693714

e-mail: nkthai1304@https://www.sodocs.net/doc/139183700.html,

Received: April 30, 2008 / Accepted: March 10, 2009

259

Together with normal hazardous waste, several speci? c hazardous wastes are being paid special attention by Viet-namese Government;3 these are persistent organic pollut-ants (POPs) from industrial activities such as used solvent, E-waste, and wastes containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These types of waste have the potential to be recy-cled because they are partly valuable waste.

In Vietnam, PCBs have not previously been considered as chemicals which need to be fully controlled, thus data and assessment of PCBs are insuf? cient and unsystematic. Sources of PCB releases into the environment are mainly from uncontrolled discarded waste oils from transformers or capacitors. An initial inventory conducted by Energy of Vietnam (EVN) showed that the total quantity of likely PCB-containing oils in Vietnam is approximately 73 600 l (in the form of isolating ? uid) and 5 297 000 kg (old trans-formers and capacitors). The amount of oil suspected of containing PCBs accounts for 19% of the total amount of oil in the transformers.

E-waste contains a number of toxic substances such as lead and cadmium in circuit boards; lead oxide and cadmium in monitor cathode ray tubes (CRTs); mercury in switches and ? at screen monitors; cadmium in computer batteries; PCBs in older capacitors and transformers; and brominated ? ame retardants in printed circuit boards, plastic casings, cables, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cable insulation that release highly toxic dioxins and furans when burned to retrieve copper from the wires 6. Due to the hazards involved,

disposing and recycling E-waste has serious legal and envi-ronmental implications. When this waste is land? lled or incinerated, it poses signi? cant contamination problems. Likewise, the recycling of computers has serious occupa-tional and environmental implications, particularly when the recycling industry is often marginally pro? table at best and often cannot afford to take the necessary precautions to protect the environment or worker health.

Table 1. Average amount of hazardous wastes generated from major industries Economic zones

Hazardous waste from industrial sectors (tons/year)Energy

Electrical and mechanical Metallurgy Chemicals Food

processing Light industry Construction materials a 1 Northern Provinces 35.0

76.08476.421029.252399.39973.063214.702 Middle Provinces ––348.00 6.0065.0091.0027.003 Tay Nguyen –––

–

–

5.00–4 Southern – East ––1

6.0012.0066.4018.60–

5 Southern – West ––52.88 6.1034.2042.71 5.50Total

35.0

76.0

8893

1053

2565

1130

3247

Source: Ministry of National Resources and Environment (MONRE), 20056a

Major hazardous components of construction and demolition waste are empty paint tins and sludge containing asbestos

Fig. 1. Typical components of industrial hazardous waste in Dong Nai

Province. From a VEPA environmental report 5

Table 2. Breakdown of industrial hazardous waste production in Vietnam Industrial sector Hazardous waste/generated waste (%)Mechanical industries

47.4% where: 12.5% corrosive 28.1% toxic 6.3% combustible 0.7% mixed Electric, electronic industries

76.8% where: 0.8% corrosive 60.4% toxic 12.8% combustible 2.0% mixed Chemical industries

69.3% where: 18.2% corrosive 43.8% toxic 4.5% combustible 2.8% oxidizing Food processing industries

23.6% where: 0.5% corrosive 5.3% combustible 17.5% biodegradable 0.3% mixed Textile, leather and dying industries

46.5% where: 25.3% toxic 4.9% combustible 15.8% biodegradable 0.5% mixed Metallurgy

42.8% where: 14.2% corrosive 26.5% toxic 0.5% combustible 1.6% mixed Construction materials

23.5% where: 1.2% corrosive 18.4% toxic 3.5% combustible 0.4% mixed

Source: CEETIA survey report 2

260

Environmental impacts

At present, all the above-mentioned wastes are not treated properly. Toxic matter is permeating underground into aquifers and causing the pollution of groundwater. In addi-tion, hazardous and toxic wastes from industrial activities are dumped into unhygienic land?lls, which also causes negative impacts on the environmental quality as well as having a direct impact on public health. Some industries, such as mechanical, electronics, chemicals, and chemical fertilizers also cause problems in terms of air quality. The typical sources of air pollutants from those industrial activi-ties are shown in Table 3.

Recycling practices

The practice of segregation of hazardous waste, which reduces potential environmental, health, and safety impacts and ensures hazardous waste treatment facilities are cost-effective, is not widely carried out at present. There are some hazardous waste recycling activities in Vietnam, but most are carried out by small companies. The main activi-ties of those companies entail cleaning empty drums and tanks and recycling these for other purposes. Some have specialized exclusively in oily waste recycling. The “recy-cling” process does not imply any puri? cation of the waste, just mixing and briquette formation for utilization as an energy source in factories and appliances where there is no treatment of the ?ue gas. In many cases the activities of these companies are unlikely to be environmentally appro-priate and there is potential for pollution of air and water. Other particular concerns arise from the reuse of materials in some speci? c types of hazardous waste. For example, old transformers have been sold as scrap, and those who buy them to recycle the materials will inadequately dispose of the transformer ? uid, which contains PCBs.

Several companies recycle waste oil and oily waste, using it in combustion processes. This oily waste is often sold to smaller companies in other sectors that involve combustion and most have no effective air emissions treatment system. Some solvent waste is recycled by waste management com-panies. The extracted solvents are sold to smaller industrial companies. Most of the waste management companies that provide hazardous waste treatment services have a distilla-tion system to recycle solvent wastes.

Because there is inadequate treatment infrastructure, the main practices for hazardous wastes are currently as follows:

– Collection of hazardous wastes from industries along with nonhazardous waste and disposal at the domestic land?ll sites without any segregation of hazardous waste.

– Treatment and/or disposal at waste generation sites.

– Discharge of sludge and toxic liquids within the waste-water ef? uent stream.

– Reuse and informal recycling.

Regulations on hazardous waste management

in Vietnam

The following are available legal documents concerning hazardous industrial waste management in Vietnam:

– Vietnam Law on Environment Protection dated Novem-ber 29, 2005, issued by the Vietnam National Assembly and the promulgation decree for implementation was signed on December 12, 2005, by the President

– National Decree No. 59/2007-ND-CP dated April 9, 2007, on solid waste management

– Circular No. 12/2006/TT-BTNMT dated December 26, 2006, giving guidelines on the conditions and the proce-dures for application preparation, registration, and license granting to practice and the issuance of the code for hazardous waste management

– Decision No. 23/2006/QD-BTNMT dated September 26, 2006, in which the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment issued a list of hazardous wastes

– Decision No. 328/2005/QD-TTg, dated December 12, 2005, approving the National Plan of Environmental Pollution Control to 2010

– Decision No. 256/2003/QD-TTg dated December 2, 2003, on the National Strategy for Environmental Protection (NSEP) until the year 2010 and the vision toward 2020

Table 3.Typical sources of air pollutants from various industrial activities

Industries Hazardous wastes

Chemicals, fertilizers, resins, drugs, and medicine Organic and inorganic matter, chemical dusts, metal dusts, toxic gases Basic chemicals Organic and inorganic matter, acid and alkaline gases

Paints and printing inks VOC: petroleum, toluene; organic and inorganic dusts

Glass production Dusts, organic matter, VOC, As

2O

3

, HF, B

2

O

3

, Sb

2

O

3

, and inorganic matter

Batteries Metal dusts, MnO

2, volatile substances, Hg

Chemical fertilizers HF gas

Pesticides and herbicide Xylene gas, carbamate organic matter, solvents

Leather and leather products Acid gases and solvents, H

2S, NH

3

, Cr3+

Rubber Solvents, organic matter, sul? te

Electronic and electrics Metal dusts, welding gases, chemical gases, solvents, detergents. Mechanical Metal dusts (Cu, Fe, Al), welding gases, chemical gases, solvents, detergents. Source: CEETIA survey report2

VOC, volatile organic carbon

261

– Vietnamese Standard TCVN 5507/2002 established stan-dards and other requirements to ensure safety in produc-tion, commerce, use, storage, and transportation

– Decision No. 155/1999/QD-TTg provided national level requirements for hazardous waste handling, transporta-tion, and storage.

The limitations of hazardous waste management regula-tions in Vietnam can be summarized as follows:

– No requirements on the limitation of the concentration of hazardous waste

– No responsibilities established at any level of national management for hazardous waste

– Lack of strong sanctions and lack of encouraged sanc-tions in the content of regulations

– No speci?c regulations of hazardous waste treatment fees

– No guide documents, circulars, or standards of construc-tion for storage and treatment plants

– No consultancy and support from domestic management agencies for storage, haulage, or treatment activities

– No appropriate guideline for hazardous waste and PCBs waste treatment

– Licensing procedure and operative structure are unclear.

Concerning the licensing of hazardous waste transporta-tion, Circular No. 12/2006/TT-BTNMT dated December 26, 2006, provided guidelines on the conditions and the proce-dures for application preparation, registration, and license granting to practice and the issuance of the code for hazard-ous waste management clearly stated: If hazardous waste is carried to other country for treatment and disposal, the hazardous waste carrier has the following responsibilities:

– Liaising with the hazardous waste owner and hazardous waste treatment and disposal operator (overseas) to comply with the regulations of the Basel Convention, supporting the waste owner in hazardous waste export registration to treat and dispose of the waste overseas based on the guidance;

– Exporting hazardous waste after receiving an of? cial letter of approval of the Vietnam Environmental Protec-tion Agency, and being monitored and inspected by related agencies in accordance with the Vietnamese laws;

– Setting up a trans-boundary transportation pro? le includ-ing all information as guidance; after receiving approval to receive hazardous waste from an overseas waste treat-ment and disposal operator, the waste carrier should send two sets of transportation pro? les: one each to the hazardous waste source owner and to the Vietnam Environmental Protection Agency.

However,the circular did not de?ne what international labeling standards must be followed.Future direction for hazardous waste management

in Vietnam

The Government of Vietnam recognizes hazardous wastes as a major environmental problem and is giving priority to developing a national system for their proper management and control. In order to enhance the effective management of hazardous waste, the policy of solid waste management in general and hazardous waste management in particular was developed consistently with suitable economic means in order to change the behavior from forcing to encourag-ing. The following objectives are being implemented in Vietnam:1

1. Improvement of capacity and practices of hazardous

waste generators, collectors, and transporters; imple-menting the guidelines on the conditions for the practice of hazardous waste transportation, treatment, and dis-posal, and the procedures of application preparation, registration as the owners of hazardous waste sources, license granting for the practice of hazardous water man-agement, issuance of the code for hazardous waste man-agement to help hazardous waste generators, collectors, and transporters to improve their knowledge of indus-trial hazardous waste management; developing a guide-line for hazardous waste management companies. There are two laws which govern the transportation of hazard-ous waste and its management in general. They are the Law on Environmental Protection and the Law on Chemicals.

2. Development and investment of hazardous waste treat-

ment and disposal facilities. At present, there is only one secured land?ll for hazardous waste (at Nam Son, Hanoi). The Vietnamese Government is increasing the investment in the construction of central hazardous waste facilities and enforceable measures to enforce the treatment of hazardous wastes by the enterprises or through contracts made with licensed treatment service providers. The technical guidelines for the land? lling of hazardous wastes and the design standards for the land-? ll of hazardous waste (TCXDVN 320-2004) is starting to be effective; the Guidelines for Cement Kilns provide guidance on the use of hazardous wastes as fuel for cement kilns, which is being applied as a proper method for the treatment of hazardous waste in Vietnam.

3. Encouragement of reduction, reuse, and recycling activi-

ties for hazardous waste from industries. As mentioned, most activities to recycle hazardous industrial waste are informal activities by small-scale private sector compa-nies. It was estimated by the Centre for Environmental Engineering of Towns and Industrial Areas from their survey that approximately 38 billion VND/year was recovered from industrial recycling activities in the south of Vietnam and 13 billions VND/year was recovered from industrial recycling activities in the north of Vietnam. Within this environmental protection policy, the 3R initiative of reduce, reuse, recycle has been raised as an important issue in need of close attention. There

262

are a number of challenges in implementing 3R policies in Vietnam because of the increasing quantity and types of waste and the level of hazard of the waste generated while the technical infrastructure for handling and man-aging of the waste is inadequate and the legal system on environmental protection is lacking. However, it is lucky that Vietnam has received great support from the Gov-ernment of Japan to conduct the Project for Implemen-tation Support for the 3R Initiative in Hanoi City to Contribute to the Development of a Sound Material-Cycle Society (3R-HN Project), for 3 years from Novem-ber 2006. The project aims to establish a balanced and unique 3R system centered around source separation and the recycling of raw waste under the 3R initiative, and to connect this to the formation of a sound material-cycle society in Hanoi City that will be a good start for Vietnam to introduce the 3R approach to hazardous industrial waste management in the near future. The amended Law on Environmental Protection (2005) states: The organizations and individuals engaged in the recycling of wastes and products shall be entitled to pref-erential policies in accordance with the law. The organi-zations and individuals that invest in the construction of waste recycling facilities shall be entitled to preferential treatment of tax, ? nancial support, and land use given by the State for constructing waste recycling facilities.

Reusing or reprocessing of solid waste is being done in concentrated industrial zones based on an information system for waste exchange whereby solid waste from one place can be used as a raw material in another place. 4. Development of the institutional and ? nancial frame-

work so that the future hazardous waste management system is sustainable. Vietnam is also rearranging the governmental administrative structure to promote envi-ronmental protection. MONRE, established in 2002, is responsible for overall governmental management of the environment, which includes safe management of chemi-cals and hazardous wastes in Vietnam. Ministries have also assigned specialized units to address environmental issues within their scope. Many provinces have estab-lished a Division of Natural Resources and the Environ-ment (DONRE) at the district level. The Ministry of Construction shall, in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and provincial-level People’s Committees have the primary responsibil-ity to develop and submit to the Prime Minister of the Government a national master plan of hazardous waste collection, treatment, and land-? lling for approval. The Ministry of Finance shall, in collaboration with the Min-istry of Natural Resources and the Environment, have the primary responsibility to formulate and submit to the Government regulations on environmental protection fees. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall have the responsibility to provide sites for the construction of hazardous waste land?ll sites in accordance with the approved planning regulations. The collection of envi-

ronmental protection fees is implemented according to Government Decree 174/2007/ND-CP dated November 29, 2007, relating to solid waste fees, and according to other relevant guidelines concerning the reuse of col-lected fees as an additional fund to the State budget allocated for the construction of central hazardous waste treatment facilities. Increase the participation of the private sector by encouraging private sector companies to participate in the collection, transportation, and treat-ment of solid waste and hazardous waste. Conclusions

Vietnam currently does not have hazardous waste (includ-ing for POPs) treatment facilities that can meet safety and environmental standards. The implementation of hazard-ous waste treatment to meet environmental standards is an urgent issue for enterprises as well as for the course of environmental protection and the protection of the health of all people in the community. It is proposed that MONRE should receive the necessary investment to solve this problem. A detailed and practical action program should be developed as soon as possible to minimize the possible risk to the environment.

The cooperation between management agencies and enterprises is essential to solve the problem in the most ef? cient manner. So far, Vietnam has rati? ed or signed up to 17 international conventions on the environment, and the National 3R Strategy, the Government Decree on 3R, is being developed in Vietnam with support from foreign organizations such as the United Nations Centre for Regional Development and the Institute for Global Envi-ronmental Strategies (Japan); this will be a good opportu-nity for Vietnam to develop a better hazardous waste management policy in the future.

References

1. Vietnam Law on Environmental Protection (2006) Hanoi Judicial

Publishing House, Hanoi

2. Centre for Environmental Engineering of Towns and Industrial

Areas (2006) Reports on surveying of hazardous waste in Vietnam (in Vietnamese). The Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam

3. Ministry of National Resource and Environment (2006) Vietnam

national implementation plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants toward 2020. The Ministry, Hanoi, Vietnam

4. Ministry of National Resource and Environment (2006) National

Strategy for Environmental Protection (NSEP) until the year 2010 and the vision toward 2020. The Ministry, Hanoi, Vietnam

5. Vietnam Environmental Protection Agency (VEPA) (2005) Report

on environmental status. Ministry of National Resource and Envi-ronment, Hanoi, Vietnam

6. Vietnam Environmental Protection Agency (VEPA), Ministry of

National Resource and Environment (MONRE), 2005-Reprot on Hazardous Waste Inventory

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.Further reproduction prohibited without permission.