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Garbage to fuel HCM City's power needs

By Trung Son October 30, 2016 | 01:34 am PT

Ho Chi Minh City throws away 7,600 tons of garbage each day on average. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Nguyen

The city has 2.5 million tons of trash ditched each year and it doesn't want it to go to waste.

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have given approval for a company to open a waste treatment facility that can generate electricity.

Citenco, in cooperation with a Japanese company, plans to process 200kg of kitchen waste each day to produce power.

The factory has been given an eight-month period to trial the process starting this month, but if any environmental problems arise during this time, the factory will be closed.

The two companies have been instructed to take measures to protect the environment during the trial.

The majority of trash is sent to landfill sites to be buried, while the rest is incinerated and a small portion gets recycled.Vietnam’s largest economic hub produces about 2.5 million tons of garbage each year, costing the city VND1 trillion ($45 million) for waste treatment alone, according to data from the environment department.

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