Waste:Hanoi ranks average in the waste category. Hanoi performs relatively well for the amount of waste generated per capita, at 282 kg per year compared with the Index average of 375 kg. City authorities collect and adequately dispose of 95% of waste, compared with the 22- city average of 83%, which is also the highest rate among cities with a similarly low income in the Index (with a GDP per capita of under US$10,000). The city’s policies on waste are relatively weak. Hanoi is one of two cities in the Index that does not enforce and monitor standards for industrial hazardous waste. Neither does Hanoi offer an on-site collection service for household waste recycling.
Green initiatives: Local authorities have approved a number of projects relating to waste treatment and recycling. Plans were announced in 2009 for a US$31 million plant in one of the city’s rural districts, with a capacity to handle 2,000 tonnes of waste a day and convert it into compost fertiliser for export. A waste-sorting project, financed by Japan International Co- operation Agency, has also been piloted in a number of inner districts. Once implemented across the city, the project is expected to reduce landfill waste by 30% by 2015, and by 70% by 2020