A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. School of Environment, Resources and Development

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1999

The commonly observed phenomenon is more growth of economic activities and population growth in urban area lead to more urban environmental problems. The environmental problem with regards to the volume and complexity of wastes has increased in general. In particularly, inappropriate disposing of municipal solid wastes has become a serious threat to the environment and public health of the City of Hanoi. The increase in generation of waste and lack of planning for disposal sites are compounding the problem. While the Hanoi Urban Environmental Company (URENCO) is primary responsible for planning the disposal sites along with overall solid waste management for the city, planners are forced to look for alternatives for an efficient solid waste management in Hanoi in the future, because of the problem rising magnitude and more urgent, the existing dumpsite has reached its capacity. With the above in view, this study focussed on some aspects that are important for developing a strategy for municipal solid waste disposal in Hanoi. This required investigating the current situation of municipal solid waste management in general and disposal practice in particular. The methodology of the study involved collection of data and information through field survey, interview, and analyzing waste samples of the study area. Recent literature on solid waste disposal in Hanoi was also reviewed. Data analyzed included compositional variations of total wastes in Hanoi over the last five years. The results show a rapid increase in the total amount of municipal wastes and significant composition changes. These are related to the increase of population and living standard in Hanoi in the last few years. In Hanoi, the total amount of municipal solid waste has "increased from 700 tons per day in 1995 to about 1400 tons per day in 1998, and it is estimated to reach 3500 tons per day by 2020. Until now the large proportion ( 65%) of municipal solid waste in Hanoi has been transported to the only one existing open dumpsite. Only a small portion (5 %) is used as input waste of a Cau Dien pilot composting plant despite the component of organic matters being 62.5 % of the total waste generated. The amount of the discharged hazardous waste without treating is still high. This causes considerable pollution in Hanoi. The lack of budget and inefficiency in operation and management of the responsible organizations also contributed to the problem of municipal solid waste management in Hanoi in general and municipal solid waste disposal in particular. To overcome the existing municipal solid waste disposal problems as specified by this study and based on its related findings, an integrated approach comprising a new sanitary landfill and a composting plant is suggested in this study. It also includes policy and planning measures for improvement of the present dumpsite and the composting plant. To deal with the requirement of operation and management in the future, and for strengthening the capacity of the responsible organization, a restructuring of URENCO is also suggested. In addition, reduce, reuse, recycling programs, application of regulatory and economic instruments, and program for raising people's awareness are recommended as measures to reduce the volume of municipal solid waste generated and help reach efficiency in municipal solid waste treatment and disposing.