Currently, the city’s food production bases and slaughter-houses are growing both in number and size. So the application of cleaner production solutions is vital in cutting losses during production, reducing production costs, improving productivity and quality, and minimizing environmental pollution. The CPI component statistics reveal that cleaner production will help producers make average savings of between 10 and 50 per cent in raw materials and energy use and also reduce emissions that cause environmental pollution.

Along with the simple solutions such as upgrading the lighting systems, applying more effective use of raw materials and energy, food processing enterprises are encouraged to invest in waste treatment systems so as to meet national standards. These systems will help them protect the local environment from pollution and also gain prestige with consumers.

However, investment in a standard waste treatment system is not easy for many enterprises because of a high investment rate and a lack of related advanced technologies. Therefore, to assist the local food processing enterprises, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has approved and will invest in a number of waste treatment investment projects for the Food Export JSC (FOODEX), the Hapro Food Industrial Cluster, and the Minh Hien Co. Ltd.

Each of those waste treatment system projects will cost between VND25.1 and 34.6 billion and be capable of treating about 300-450cu.m of waste per day. These waste treatment systems will effectively combine treatment of both liquid and solid waste and gas emissions.

In addition, the water tanks will be designed semi-underground and made of reinforced concrete; the houses for operators, aerators and sludge dewatering plants will be built with flat concrete roofs; internal roads will be paved with solid bricks, and trees will be grown around waste treatment areas.

After having been collected, the wastewater will be treated according to the six-step method including preliminary, flotation, anaerobic, activated sludge biological, wastewater disinfection, and mud treatments. In addition, gas emissions will go through pipelines to wet scrubbers and then to absorption towers.

The solid waste will be collected by garbage containers and vehicles, and then either sold for recycling into fertilizer or dumped in the city’s landfill.

The investment capital will be funded by the city during the 2012-2013 implementation period. Once completed, these projects are expected not only to bring about economic efficiency and environmental benefits for the involved enterprises but also to create better conditions for the city’s food processing enterprises to actively implement cleaner production solutions./.