On 3/7, Le Thi Thanh Thuy, director of Binh Thuan Urban Environment and Services Joint Stock Company, stated that after the Phan Thiet waste processing plant ceased operations on 1/7, approximately 300 tons of household waste collected daily in the Phan Thiet area will be diverted to the Binh Tu landfill.

"The province has authorized the reopening of this landfill to address the accumulating waste," Thuy said.

Bulldozers clearing the site to prepare for waste disposal at the Binh Tu landfill, midday on 3/7. Photo: Viet Quoc

That morning, bulldozers were deployed to the landfill to clear existing waste and prepare the site for new refuse. Some garbage trucks have already begun depositing waste there instead of transporting it to the Phan Thiet waste processing plant. Waste pickers have also returned to the site after learning of its reopening.

The over 26-hectare Binh Tu landfill was previously a pollution hotspot, severely impacting the health of residents and coastal tourism in Tien Thanh. In 7/2023, the People's Council of the former Binh Thuan province (now part of Lam Dong) approved an investment of over 88 billion Vietnamese dong to remediate the pollution and eventually close the landfill. By the end of last year, the landfill ceased accepting waste, with over 856,000 cubic meters of waste remaining.

Over 10 years ago, to replace the Binh Tu landfill, the Binh Thuan People's Committee granted Nhat Hoang Limited Liability Company a license to construct the Phan Thiet waste processing plant on a 10-hectare site, with a designed capacity of 400 tons per day. The project experienced repeated delays and only commenced operations in 10/2023.

However, the plant failed to meet its promised capacity, leading to waste accumulation and environmental concerns. In early July, the Lam Dong provincial government decided to suspend the plant's operations for six months to allow the investor to address environmental violations.

Viet Quoc