CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPROACH IN DOMESTIC WASTE TREATMENT: A CASE STUDY IN LAO CAI CITY, VIETNAM

Abstract

This study was carried out to propose the application of circular economy for domestic solid waste treatment in Lao Cai city. Field surveys was conducted to interview managers, households in combination with domestic waste sampling to analyze organic and inorganic components. The research results showed that the amount of domestic waste generated per day in Coc Leu and Bac Cuong wards ranged from 1.2 ± 0.031 to 2.53 ± 0.865 (kg/person/day) and from 1.28 ±0.23 to 2.52 ± 1.12 (kg/person/day), respectively. The rate of households which obey classifying domestic waste in the two wards was 60.18% and 27.71%. respectively. The amount of domestic waste that can be used for different purposes was 89% (Coc Leu) and 87% (Bac Cuong) (including biodegradable organic matter and recyclable waste). In addition, thanks to a high percentage of organic carbon in the range of 26.38% to 32.57%, composting can be optimally reasonable because it helps save labor as well as reduce the amount of waste landfilled and bring to economic profits. The application of circular economy from household-scale to the city-scale makes an important role to reduce domestic solid waste for whole Lao Cai city and simultaneously gains economic benefits to the local people.