The new rural commune of Thanh Chăn currently has 16 hamlets. To collect DSW, Thanh Chăn has established 7 waste collection points located in densely populated areas. Every day, the waste collection unit operates twice, early in the morning and late in the afternoon. However, for months now, waste has been dumped haphazardly at the collection points of Thanh Hồng 10 and Thanh Hồng 11 hamlets, spilling onto the roadway, polluting the environment and disrupting the landscape. This waste site is located on a major road leading to Thanh Chăn’s center, with heavy daily traffic.

Cà Văn Chính, Chairman of the Thanh Chăn commune People’s Committee, explained: “This has been one of the commune’s 7 collection points for years. However, recently, due to construction of a branch road connected to a major infrastructure project, the original waste site was leveled. Since the new location has not been completed, residents have continued dumping waste at the old spot out of habit. On days with large amounts of waste, part of it ends up spilling onto the road before it can be collected.”

According to Điện Biên district statistics, the total volume of DSW generated in the district is approximately 52.4 tons/day. The district has established over 80 collection points in densely populated and easily accessible areas, enabling the collection and transportation of around 20.67 tons/day across 19 out of 21 communes in the basin and some outlying areas. The collected waste is transported to the Púng Min Waste Treatment Plant in Pom Lót commune, Điện Biên district.

The remaining waste is either reused by households, burned or buried individually, or dumped indiscriminately due to the lack of collection points, leading to unsanitary conditions.

In Mường Chà district, rural areas generate about 27.9 tons of DSW per day, accounting for 89% of the district’s total.

Trần Mạnh Minh, Head of the Sub-department of Agriculture and Environment of Mường Chà District, said: “To improve the rural DSW collection rate, since 2022, the district has contracted with an environmental company to collect waste in four communes: Mường Mươn, Na Sang, Ma Thì Hồ, and Sa Lông. Forty-three collection points using hand-pulled carts have been set up in these areas, with waste collected every three days and transported to a waste treatment site located about 5km from the district center. There, the waste is sorted and treated at an incineration facility.”

However, due to dispersed populations and large residential land areas, these communes do not have daily waste collection teams. Most of the waste is handled in small-scale incinerators placed in village centers or dumped openly in makeshift sites near homes and vacant lots. Currently, Mường Chà’s rural DSW collection rate stands at just 11.26%.

Province-wide, about 322 tons of DSW is generated daily, of which rural areas contribute approximately 235 tons. To address the growing volume and increasingly complex composition of waste, the province has proposed various solutions: strengthening collection and treatment infrastructure, and encouraging waste sorting at the source.

There are currently 9 operational waste treatment facilities in the province. Among them, 4 combine incineration with landfilling (in Mường Lay town, and Điện Biên, Mường Chà, and Mường Ảng districts). The remaining 5 rely on landfilling, with 3 sanitary landfill sites meeting regulatory standards (Điện Biên Đông township, Tuần Giáo township, and Mường Nhé district).

Despite ongoing efforts, with over 100 tons of DSW collected and treated daily, Điện Biên province still faces major difficulties in waste management. Challenges include attracting investment in waste treatment, implementing household-level waste sorting (which has not yet been realized due to lack of funding and personnel), and improving public awareness.

In rural areas especially, public awareness of proper waste disposal and sorting remains low. The wide collection areas, sparse population density, and mountainous terrain further hinder effective waste collection and treatment. As a result, the rural DSW collection rate across the province is just 23%, meaning about 77% of rural waste remains uncollected and untreated. Some of it is burned or buried by residents, but the majority is dumped directly into the environment.

Solving the waste problem requires more than short-term fixes. It demands systemic, professional, and coordinated changes in how waste is collected and treated. To improve environmental protection and effectively manage illegal dump sites, it is not only essential for local authorities to enforce penalties strictly, but even more importantly, for individuals to change their mindset and take responsibility for proper waste disposal.