Le Minh Xuan Commune (Binh Chanh, Ho Chi Minh City) is home to numerous facilities specializing in the collection and recycling of plastic bags and nylon, adversely affecting the health of local residents.
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Nylon waste piled up in the neighborhood (Photo: SGGP) |
Laang Le – Bau Co Road, stretching from Provincial Road 10 to the Laang Le Drainage Ditch, spans over 6 kilometers in Le Minh Xuan Commune (Binh Chanh, Ho Chi Minh City) with a width of 20 meters. This road originally served as a flood control dyke along the B Canal.
In the past two years, the road has been upgraded with hot asphalt, improving traffic flow. As a result, many business owners have established production and trading facilities in the area.
While local residents initially welcomed the arrival of these businesses, they soon found themselves burdened with concerns about environmental pollution…
The whole neighborhood recycles plastic and nylon waste
Currently, along a stretch of less than 1 kilometer from Provincial Road 10 to the Laang Le-Bau Co Post Office, there are no fewer than 10 facilities dedicated to recycling plastic packaging and discarded nylon.
These establishments operate day and night, releasing various harmful gases into the environment, posing a threat to the health of local residents.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh from Hamlet 7 expressed his frustration: “Over the past year, numerous collection and recycling points for discarded nylon packaging have sprung up in this area. Every day, they soak and wash filthy waste in the B Canal, polluting the water source and leaving dirty waste exposed along both banks of the canal, worsening the air quality.”
Meanwhile, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nghiep has been frequently ill for the past year due to inhaling the fumes from a nearby nylon grinding and glue production facility. She lamented: “My house has two sick individuals because we cannot endure the torment from the grinding machine next door. Every day, especially at night, this production facility operates continuously, creating a cloud of dust and deafening noise that prevents neighbors from sleeping.”
Dozens of households in the surrounding area are also living under similar conditions.
Pollution upon pollution… How can we live?
The environmental pollution caused by waste from plastic recycling facilities in Hamlet 7 of Le Minh Xuan Commune has persisted for a long time.
Residents have repeatedly submitted petitions to the People’s Committee of Le Minh Xuan Commune and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Binh Chanh District, requesting remedial actions.
However, despite several inspections by local authorities promising to force the business owners to cease operations, the situation remains unchanged.
Currently, companies in the Le Minh Xuan Industrial Park are continuously discharging wastewater into the B Canal, causing the water source to turn black and emit foul odors, further threatening the living environment of the residents.
