Composition and Generation Rate of Household Solid Waste: Reuse and Recycling Ability – A case study in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

Research result shows that in Ho Chi Minh City, household waste generation rate is in the range of 0.53 – 0.63 kg/capita/day (2.1 – 2.5 kg/household/day). After separated into two components, food waste (FW) and remaining wastes, each component becomes “cleaner”. Food waste consists of 80.1 – 90.0% of food refuse, whereas in the composition of remaining wastes, recyclable materials consist of 12.2 – 18.0%, combustible waste for heat recovery accounts for 40.1 – 50.0%. At present, household solid waste is holding about 50% of total municipal solid waste in the city. Therefore, the success in solid waste separation at sources will assist in shifting a remarkable amount of “waste” into “recyclable materials”, and significantly affects the efficiency of other processes of municipal solid waste management system in Ho Chi Minh City.