Tech-driven waste treatment boosts agriculture in Tuần Giáo

ĐBP - In Tuần Giáo district, Điện Biên province, modern technology is being applied to waste treatment, with residual heat from incineration being repurposed to dry wood and agricultural products such as cassava and coffee. This initiative not only reduces environmental pollution but also enhances the value and quality of local produce.

In Cọ hamlet, Quài Nưa commune, household waste is no longer dumped along roadsides or streams. The once unsightly and unsanitary waste piles have been replaced with clean and well-maintained village roads. Residents now regularly sort their waste and dispose of it at designated collection points for sanitation workers to pick up.

Residents of Cọ hamlet sort waste and dispose of it properly.

Lường Thị Thận, a resident of Cọ hamlet, shared that in the past, resident used to burn trash in their gardens or dump it by the stream. But thanks to outreach efforts from commune and district officials in recent years, they have learned to sort inorganic, organic, recyclable, and non-recyclable waste and deposit it at designated collection points. This not only limits environmental pollution but also allows them to compost organic waste into fertilizer for their crops.

Workers operate the system that feeds waste into the incinerator.

In Quài Nưa commune, local authorities have seriously promoted waste sorting and proper disposal. Residents are instructed to place non-recyclable and solid waste at communal collection points, while organic waste is composted in backyard pits dug at least 3 meters away from living areas. These pits are layered with a biological additive and covered with soil, rice husks, or ash (2–5cm thick), then sealed to prevent flies, mosquitoes, or rainwater from entering. Once full, the pit is covered, and another is dug. After 20-25 days, the decomposed waste can be used as fertilizer.

The automated control and monitoring system of the Tuần Giáo Waste Treatment Plant.

Currently, Tuần Giáo district collects and centrally treats waste at the Tuần Giáo Waste Treatment Plant for 8 out of its 18 communes and townships, handling over 20 tons of waste per day, 6.6 tons from Tuần Giáo town alone. In remote areas, waste is still disposed of by burial or open burning.

The Tuần Giáo Waste Treatment Plant, under the Điện Biên Urban Environment and Construction Joint Stock Company, has been operational since April 2024 and can process over 60 tons of waste per day and night. It employs Rs-Vinabima 2000 incineration technology, the most advanced in the province.

Excess heat from incineration is used in drying agricultural products such as coffee, macadamia nuts, and cassava.

The plant has fully replaced landfilling, reducing local environmental contamination. Its self-combustion incinerators require no external fuel and produce minimal emissions. Waste is preliminarily sorted on-site, then composted for about a week before being incinerated in an automated, closed-loop system that releases no wastewater, preventing water pollution.

Also, wood drying kilns for export products powered by waste heat.

Đoàn Quốc Trịnh, the plant’s manager, noted that since becoming operational, the plant has processed more than 2,000 tons of solid household waste in the district. The plant now also serves nearby districts such as Tủa Chùa and Mường Ảng, handling nearly 50 tons of waste per day across the three districts.

Capitalizing on the heat generated by the incinerators, the plant has installed two additional processing lines: one for drying wood used in exports and furniture production, and another for drying agricultural goods like cassava, coffee, and macadamia nuts. In its first year of operation (2024), the plant dried 24 tons of cassava, 50 tons of coffee, and hundreds of cubic meters of export-grade wood.

Cassava dried at the plant, ready for distribution.

The facility has significantly improved the urban environment in Tuần Giáo, raising the rate of household waste collection and treatment in urban areas to over 96%. It also provides stable employment for nearly 30 environmental workers, 11 at the plant and 18 collectors, and supports dozens of seasonal workers in drying operations.

Anh Nguyễn
Comment

You have 500/500 characters left

Please enter 5 or more characters!!!

Recent news

  • 'Protecting children from negative impacts of social media

    Protecting children from negative impacts of social media

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - In the digital age, social media has become an indispensable part of daily life, even for children and teenagers. While it offers many opportunities for learning, connection, and entertainment, if not properly guided, social media can also pose significant risks, affecting children's psychological and emotional development.
  • 'Warmth from “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” houses

    Warmth from “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” houses

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - Through small fundraising activities by team members and the joint efforts of the community, the “Khăn Quàng Đỏ” (Red Scarf) houses have been built across the province. These warm houses, dedicated to poor students, have provided them with motivation, helping them overcome challenges in life and study, becoming well-behaved children and good students, loyal to Uncle Hồ.
  • 'Mường Lay sets national record for traditional white Thái stilt houses

    Mường Lay sets national record for traditional white Thái stilt houses

    CULTURE - TOURISM -
    ĐBP - On the morning of May 8, the people’s committee of Mường Lay town, Điện Biên province, in coordination with the Vietnam records organization, held a ceremony at the Mechanical Wharf of Mường Lay to announce the Vietnam record “The town with the highest density of traditional stilt houses of the white Thái ethnic group in Vietnam”.
  • 'Active preparation made for Party congress

    Active preparation made for Party congress

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP - The Party congress of the Project Management Board for Civil and Industrial Works of Điện Biên province for the second term (2025-2030) is scheduled to take place in mid-May. To ensure the success of the event, the agency’s Party Committee has been focusing on completing all preparatory work, including documents, personnel, material conditions, and communications.
  • 'Pride on the historic land

    Pride on the historic land

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP - On the land that marked the “famous victory that shook the world,” the youth of Điện Biên are continuing the path paved by their ancestors with deep pride and a strong aspiration to rise. In the rhythm of Điện Biên province that is changing day by day, the spirit of Điện Biên Phủ remains a sacred flame that fosters the will, love for the country, and responsibility of the younger generation for their homeland and the nation.
  • 'Uncle Hồ in the heart of Điện Biên’s people

    Uncle Hồ in the heart of Điện Biên’s people

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP -  Although President Hồ Chí Minh passed away 56 years ago, his image and the stories about him still reside deeply in the hearts of people of Điện Biên province in particular, and of all ethnic communities in the Northwestern region in general. Every May, as his birthday approaches, thousands of hearts stir with sacred reverence and infinite gratitude, renewing their vow to follow his teachings.
  • 'Điện Biên after 71 years of liberation

    Điện Biên after 71 years of liberation

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP - From a land ravaged by bombs and bullets, after 71 years marked by a historic victory, Điện Biên province has undergone a remarkable transformation in all areas and has become one of the fastest-growing provinces in the northern midlands and mountainous region of Vietnam.
  • 'Ready for flag raising ceremony at A Pa Chải Flagpole

    Ready for flag raising ceremony at A Pa Chải Flagpole

    CULTURE - TOURISM -
    ĐBP - The flag raising ceremony and the installation of a plaque at the A Pa Chải Flagpole - the border point of three countries: Vietnam, Laos, and China will take place on May 7 at Sín Thầu commune, Mường Nhé district, Điện Biên province. This event holds special significance as it marks the 71st anniversary of the Điện Biên Phủ Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2025), and preparations are being quickly completed by relevant agencies and units to ensure a solemn and meaningful ceremony.
  • 'Điện Biên to ensure electricity supply

    Điện Biên to ensure electricity supply

    BUSINESS -
    ĐBP - In response to Official Dispatch No.49/CĐ-TTg dated April 23, 2025, from the Prime Minister regarding the implementation of decisive, coordinated, and effective solutions to ensure electricity supply during the peak period of 2025 and in the future, the Điện Biên provincial People’s Committee has instructed all departments, agencies, localities, and relevant units to urgently implement their assigned tasks in a serious and effective manner. This is to ensure a flexible response to the electricity supply situation and to meet the needs of the public and production activities in the region.
  • 'Điện Biên hosts AI Day

    Điện Biên hosts AI Day

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - The AI Day, organized by the People’s Committee of Điện Biên province in collaboration with STEAM for Vietnam and Hanoi University of Science and Technology, took place on May 6 at the provincial Conference and Cultural Center.
  • 'Back to home - Back to hope

    Back to home - Back to hope

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP -  Presidential amnesty is a profound expression of the Vietnamese Party and State’s humanitarian and tolerant policy toward prisoners who have shown sincere remorse, worked hard, and demonstrated efforts to reform during their incarceration. Being granted clemency and released before the end of a prison term is not just a legal leniency- it’s a new beginning. It opens the door to a second chance at life, where those who once strayed have the opportunity to rebuild their future with courage and hope for change.
  • 'Provincial Party Secretary Trần Quốc Cường extends Vesak greetings to local Buddhist community

    Provincial Party Secretary Trần Quốc Cường extends Vesak greetings to local Buddhist community

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP -  On the morning of May 5, in celebration of Vesak Day (Buddhist Calendar 2569) and the 2025 retreat season, Secretary of the Điện Biên provincial Party Committee Trần Quốc Cường, accompanied by provincial People’s Council Chairman Lò Văn Phương, Chairman of the provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee Mùa A Vảng, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lò Văn Cương, and representatives of various provincial departments and agencies, paid a visit to the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Điện Biên province at Linh Quang Pagoda, located in Thanh Nưa commune, Điện Biên district.