The Ministry of Finance forecasts the amount of scrap imported into Vietnam is likely to rise considerably (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The amount of scrap imported into Vietnam islikely to rise considerably, the Ministry of Finance has warned.
As other countries worldwide restrict the amount of scrap material allowed in,the ministry has warned in a draft regulation that Vietnam could become adumping ground.
This year, China has black-listed eight different materials considered scrapand won’t allow them to be imported into the country.
Malaysia has also banned scrap from entering the country, and there are nowfears importation of unwanted materials may shift towards Vietnam.
According to statistics from the General Department of Customs, on averagethere has been more than 2,000 containers of waste imported into Vietnam eachweek.
The draft report also said there has been an increase in waste arriving in thecountry which has raised concerns among the community and caused pollution.
In some cases, businesses in Vietnam have falsified legal documents pretendingthe materials coming in are for production use.
The Ministry has asked local authorities, especially those on borders, to be onthe look out for such scams, and prevent and smuggling cases.
It also said customs should take a closer look at suspicious containersarriving at ports.
The draft regulations say each ministry and sector needs to take responsibilityto control banned materials coming into the country.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) will work withcities, provinces and peoples’ committees to collect information includingnames, tax codes, addresses or those who were granted an import license.
The MoNRE should also release inspection results of imported scrap quality,which was granted by natural resources and environment departments to entitiesand individuals using the imported material.
The MoNRE has to set up teams to review environment conditions.
According to the ministry’s figures, the total volume of scrap imported into Vietnamlast year was more than 9.2 million tonnes, increasing by 1.3 million tonnescompared to 2017.
Notably, plastic scrap dramatically increased in the first six months whenChina slapped a ban on importing it.
Since July last year, thanks to close inspection and monitor by the customs,the plastic scrap imported to Vietnam dropped to 107,000 tonnes from 274,7000tonnes, said the Ministry of Finance. – VNS/VNA
VNA
