Km18 dump site to relocate

The Vientiane Urban Development and Administration Authority (VUDAA) plans to relocate the Km18 rubbish dump to a new site at Km30 on southern Route 13 at the end of this year.

“The plan falls under our objectives to extend garbage dump facilities in our city. The Km18 site would otherwise be filled to capacity in the next six years,” said an anonymous source from the VUDAA, adding that the area also formed part of the 125-hectare construction site for the 2009 South East Asian Games facilities.

The Km18 dump began operating in 1998, collecting 100 to 150 tonnes of the capital's rubbish each day. Since then there has been a marked increase in dumping at the site, which has now hit 250 to 300 tonnes per day.

As a result of this increase the dump will be moved to a much bigger site far away from any villages, as Km18 residents had requested that authorities move the site, according to the source.

Where the Km18 dump covers just 60 hectares, the new Km30 landfill site will cover over 700 hectares, and is expected to take up to 100 years to fill. It is also expected to feature better facilities for recycling.

The new site will be on land that is not suitable for farming, high ground with stony soil, with no houses nearby.

“The cost of collecting the rubbish in Vientiane 's households will be increased, but we have not set the price yet. Now one basket of waste costs 4,500 per day to collect, or 18,000 kip per month,” said the source.

Five private companies and one state enterprise currently operate rubbish collection and transportation in Vientiane .

By Panyasith Thammavongsa
Vientianetimes