Công văn 1336/BTNMT-TCMT

To: The People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities.

Implementing Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021 of the Government on Interim regulations for safe and flexible adaption to and effective control of COVID-19”, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment requests the People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities to review, release statistics, predict the amount of waste to be generated in prompt manner and evaluate the handling capacity to take account of and build management scenarios in a suitable and comprehensive manner for a safe and flexible adaption to and effective control of COVID-19 in each locality.

On the basis of regulations of law, guidelines of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control concerning waste management and hygiene in pandemic prevention and control, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment cooperates with the Ministry of Health in formulating an interim guidance on management of waste disposal from home-based F0 individuals (see details in the Appendix attached). Request the People’s Committees to direct agencies and units in provinces/cities to implement this document.

Sincerely./.

APPENDIX

INTERIM GUIDANCE FOR MANAGEMENT OF WASTE DISPOSAL FROM HOME-BASED F0 INDIVIDUALS
(Issued together with Official Dispatch No. 1336/BTNMT-TCMT dated March 15, 2022 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment)

I. Sorting and collecting waste disposal from home-based F0 individuals:

1. Sorting and collecting:

All kinds of solid waste generated by home-based F0 individuals (hereinafter referred to as F0’s waste) shall be considered as infectious waste and must be sorted out separately from domestic waste of people not infected with COVID-19 and be collected under guidelines of Official Dispatch No. 922/BYT-MT dated February 27, 2022 of the Ministry of Health to be delivered to the drop-off sites of F0 individual waste in the locality.

The People's Committees of provinces and cities shall direct and guide local agencies to coordinate with commune-level authorities, infrastructure management units of apartment buildings, high-rise buildings, urban areas and neighborhoods, residential areas, community COVID groups, local mass organizations, etc. to take measures to collect waste to local drop-off sites to deliver to facilities that treat infectious medical waste treatment infection.

2. Drop-off site of F0’s waste:

The drop-off site of F0's waste is regulated by the commune-level People's Committee, ensuring an effective connection between collection, transportation and treatment. The People's Committee of commune shall take charge and coordinate with waste collection and transport facilities in, determining the location, collection time and waste amount received to suit the real circumstances, ensure traffic safety, and limit activities during peak hours.

The waste collection facility shall coordinate with the commune-level authority to provide the F0's waste containers with warning signs according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health to distinguish it from the domestic solid waste container at drop-off sites; the F0’s waste container must be hard, solid, with walls, bottom, tight lid, hard structure, impact resistance, no dropping or leakage of waste during storage, transport, and must be placed in a dry place, not flooded.

Depending on the specific conditions of the locality (amount of waste, equipment, and human resources), the waste collection facility shall coordinate with the commune-level government to determine the appropriate frequency of collection, ensuring environmental sanitation and disease prevention and control.

II. Transport of F0’s waste:

People's Committees of provinces and cities shall direct and regulate infectious medical waste treatment facilities to take initiative in conducting collection or coordinating with other facilities that are collecting domestic waste and other local forces (community COVID teams, local mass organizations, etc.)  to arrange suitable means for separate collection of infectious medical waste from domestic waste; collect F0's waste from drop-off sites to infectious medical waste treatment facilities in accordance with local regulations on collection, transport and treatment of medical waste.

Participants in the transport of waste must comply with the pandemic protocols as prescribed by the Ministry of Health, strictly follow the transport itinerary, disinfect vehicles after each trip and other anti-epidemic regulations.

The government of ward or commune shall maintain a record of medical waste pickup and drop-off with the collection and treatment facilities to follow up and release statistics when transferring infectious medical waste.

III. Treatment of F0’s waste:

Depending on the real circumstances in the province/city, the People's Committee of the province or city shall direct and regulate the treatment of F0’s waste at infectious medical waste treatment facilities.  The F0’s waste treatment must meet the following environmental protection requirements:

- Waste treatment at hazardous waste treatment facilities with the function of treating infectious medical waste:  comply with the license for hazardous waste treatment issued; emissions from medical waste incinerators must be treated to meet QCVN 30:2012/BTNMT - National Technical Regulations on Industrial Waste Incinerators and QCVN 02:2012/BTNMT - National Technical Regulations on Incinerators of Medical Solid Waste; in case waste is disinfected by an autoclave, it must meet QCVN 55:2013/BTNMT - National technical regulation on autoclaves of infectious medical waste.

- Waste treatment at medical facilities or treatment facilities operating according to the model of clusters of medical facilities that are still capable of receiving:  comply with the Plan on collection, transport and treatment of hazardous medical wastes of the People's Committees of provinces; ensure that emissions from medical waste incinerators must be treated to meet QCVN 02:2012/BTNMT; in case waste is disinfected by an autoclave, it must meet QCVN 55:2013/BTNMT.

IV. Strengthening communication and improving waste management capacity:

The People's Committees of districts shall direct specialized agencies in the districts to strengthen measures to guide, propagate and disseminate regulations on collection and disinfection to people; direct the collection, transport of waste and consolidation of information about the amount of waste generated, report it to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Health and the People's Committee of province for consideration and proactive regulation of local collection and transportation.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment shall take charge and coordinate with the Department of Health and relevant agencies in making, adjusting and organizing the plan for collection, transportation and treatment of hazardous medical waste in a prompt manner; instruct facilities that collect, transport and treat waste in the prevention and control of COVID-19 to ensure compliance with regulations.

The People's Committees of the provinces and cities shall direct the local agencies to take initiative in monitoring, regulating and selecting the appropriate plan in the process of collecting, transporting and treating waste generated that is suitable for each COVID-risk level area; provide adequate funding for waste management; maximize resources of waste treatment facilities and the participation and support of relevant organizations and individuals.