Brian Jeffrey
Beginning June 1, Ho Chi Minh City will launch a trial program to regulate household waste fees based on weight. This new initiative has raised concerns among residents, particularly regarding the potential for waterlogged trash bags after rainfall.
Le Thu Ha, a resident from Go Vap District, expressed that the weight-based charging system could impose a significant burden on many citizens. While she acknowledges that reasonable and clear fees are generally acceptable, she worries that this approach may lead to conflicts and dissatisfaction, especially for families with lower incomes.
“As a homemaker, I already juggle daily household tasks like cooking and paying bills. Now, I have to keep track of each garbage bag, worry about rain impacting the weight, and ensure everything is measured accurately. If this process lacks transparency, trust will diminish,” she remarked.
In a similar vein, Le Van Suat from Tan Phu District fears that without adequate regulation, the measuring of waste may be inconsistent and unjust, with no method for residents to confirm its accuracy.
“My family already sorts organic waste from plastics,” he shared. “However, during collection, everything ends up mixed together. So what’s the use of weighing? How can you bill if the trash isn’t sorted properly?”
Making Waste Valuable
Addressing these worries, Ho Kien Trung, Deputy Director of the Environmental Department at the MoAE, clarified that the city will not weigh individual garbage bags as has been erroneously assumed. Instead, residents will be required to purchase pre-determined sizes of bags—3kg, 5kg, 7kg, or 10kg—based on their needs.
These bags will be used for waste segregation, and residents will be charged accordingly. This system is designed to be more straightforward, fair, and easier to implement than weighing each bag individually.
Trung highlighted that similar initiatives have been successfully implemented in countries such as South Korea and Japan, as well as in various areas of Vietnam, including Quang Nam Province.
“The sale of fixed-size bags promotes transparency and fairness while encouraging residents to minimize waste and sort it effectively. This is a crucial step toward managing waste right from the source,” he explained.
He further emphasized that the “polluter pays” approach aims to foster responsible consumer habits and safe waste disposal, not to financially burden residents. With backing from both the private sector and governing bodies, the community plays a vital role in establishing a sustainable waste management framework.
“Waste management is no longer solely the government’s task; it’s a collective responsibility for society. When approached correctly, waste can transform into a valuable resource rather than a liability,” Trung affirmed.
The MoAE aspires that citizens will adopt new practices like waste sorting and paying for the amount of garbage produced, not merely as a regulatory requirement but as a communal duty to safeguard our environment for present and future generations, as Trung underscored.
Vu Diep
