Technical procedures for transporting hazardous waste from households and individuals from collection areas to treatment facilities or hazardous waste storage areas in Vietnam

Technical procedures for transporting hazardous waste from households and individuals from collection areas to treatment facilities or hazardous waste storage areas in Vietnam​ (Image from the internet)

On December 19, 2024, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam issued Circular 35/2024/TT-BTNMT promulgating the technical procedure for collecting, transporting, and treating municipal solid waste.

Technical procedures for transporting hazardous waste from households and individuals from collection areas to treatment facilities or hazardous waste storage areas in Vietnam

Article 9 in Circular 35/2024/TT-BTNMT stipulates the technical procedure for transporting hazardous waste from households and individuals from collection areas to treatment facilities or hazardous waste storage area in Vietnam from February 3, 2025, as follows:

(1) Preparatory Work

- Arrange personnel to transfer hazardous waste from the collection area to the transport vehicle; personnel operating the transport vehicle;

- Prepare personal protective equipment (clothes, boots, helmets, gloves, masks, etc.); containers and equipment for storing hazardous waste that meet the required standards, and other necessary labor tools;

- Check the transport vehicle (cargo trucks, motorbikes, motorcycles, or other transportation means) to ensure they meet technical safety requirements, traffic safety, and environmental protection as per regulations.

(2) Transporting Hazardous Waste

- Move the transport vehicle from the vehicle storage location to the hazardous waste collection area according to the schedule. Stop the vehicle, signal a stop; place warning signs to ensure traffic safety, and transfer hazardous waste to the correct position on the transport vehicle;

- Check for conditions ensuring fire and explosion safety, prevent spills, and scatter hazardous waste before moving the vehicle to the next collection area to receive hazardous waste until the vehicle reaches its load or storage capacity;

- Move the transport vehicle to a hazardous waste treatment facility with the appropriate environmental license or to a hazardous waste storage point according to the schedule, in compliance with local authority regulations; pass through weigh stations upon entry and exit of the treatment facility or measure the weight of transferred hazardous waste at the storage point; present the transportation order; transfer waste to the designated location; receive the handover record or hazardous waste document;

- Continue moving the transport vehicle complying with the technical procedure in this section until the end of the shift.

(3) End of Work Shift

- Return the transport vehicle to the vehicle storage point;

- Inspect, clean, and store the transport vehicle and tools in the designated area and hand over to the next work shift;

- Submit the hazardous waste documents to the authorized person in the work unit;

- Summarize the number of journeys, the quantity of hazardous waste transported and transferred to the treatment facility or storage point during the work shift; identify collection areas and reception facilities that do not comply with environmental protection regulations; promptly report to the authorized person in the work unit to take measures for management and handling according to regulations.

More details can be found in Circular 35/2024/TT-BTNMT, effective from February 3, 2025.

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