Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex in HCM City switches to receiving waste only from 6 pm to 6 am from December 1.
The Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex in Hung Long Ward will accept waste solely during night hours starting December 1, raising the risk that the city cannot complete daily collection, transfer and disposal, especially in central districts.
According to the HCMC Department of Agriculture and Environment, 14 former districts including Thu Duc City, districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Binh Chanh, Nha Be and Can Gio send waste to Da Phuoc, averaging 4,550 tonnes a day. Daytime operations account for about 1,800 tonnes and nighttime for 2,750 tonnes.
Due to restrictions on truck access in the downtown area, the full cycle of collection, transfer and transport currently requires about 17 hours. With Da Phuoc limiting its receiving window, collectors will have only 11 night hours to complete transport. Trucks may be unable to return in time, and many could be forced to reroute to the Tay Bac Waste Complex, increasing one way transport distances from 22 kilometres to 47 kilometres.
The department said the biggest pressure will fall on areas without transfer stations such as former districts 1, 3, 5, 10, Binh Thanh, Binh Tan and the former Nha Be district. In these locations, waste from markets, offices and streets must be collected directly and cannot be left uncollected. Districts 1 and 3, which regularly host major events and heavy visitor flows, would face major disruption if collection trucks cannot enter at suitable times.
Many existing transfer stations including Thanh My Loi, Binh Trung Tay, Ton That Thuyet, Ba Lai, Dao Tri, Phuoc Long A, Binh Chanh and Le Minh Xuan are already operating beyond their designed capacity. When Da Phuoc stops receiving waste during the day, all waste generated in peak daytime hours will be pushed to these stations, making congestion almost certain.
The new operating hours will also require shifting collection at source from daytime to nighttime. Authorities expect major challenges due to residents’ habits and disposal routines.
Environmental sanitation units added that the current fleet is insufficient to move all waste to Da Phuoc within the limited night time window.
To avoid widespread waste backlog, the department has recommended that the city allow waste transport trucks to operate without time based restrictions and be granted priority access across all routes.
