A small scale stove-type waste burning system was built in 10 schools in Tra Cu District in southern Tra Vinh Province. This was used to change their old dumping system following the model of Tap Son Secondary School who in turn adapted the system two years ago after finding out about the waste disposal model from its neighboring province of Vin Long’s Tra On District. The stove-type waste burning system is a greener alternative to waste disposal. Since garbage disposal have been a problem for most schools with almost a thousand students, teachers, and other people throwing trash everyday, the new system is a big relief since it is capable of discharging around 200 kilos of waste each time. It is four meters high with a capacity of about 12 cubic meters. It costs about VND 7million (US$340).

Kim Thi, a teacher at Tap Son Secondary School who first adapted the stove-type waste system, noted that before they used the new garbage disposal model, thrash in their school was usually just dumped, emitting a terrible smell and causing neighboring residents around the area to complain. Moreover, land for the dump could no longer be expanded, thus the accumulation of waste. But with the new garbage disposal system, students now gather all their trash in a basket and after classes, they throw it into the stove for burning.

Following Tap Son Secondary School’s footsteps, Phuoc Hung Secondary School also used the alternative stove-type system for their waste disposal. School principal Vo Hao Quang acknowledged the new system’s affordability and efficiency. He stated that after the garbage has been burned, there would only be two kilos of trash left.

In this respect, the Phuoc Hung Commune People’s Committee is also planning to build a bigger waste disposal stove to address the garbage problem in their local markets. This was confirmed by the committee’s chairman Tran Van Cong. To date, 10 schools have already utilized the system. The district is also planning to expand this type of garbage disposal into the local residential areas. It is asking technical support from the provincial Department of Science and Technology to further improve and even perfect the stove’s efficiency.

Tra Cu District People’s Committee Vice-Chairman Nguyen Van Ut is hoping and expecting that this new and alternative stove-type waste disposal system will better the environmental hygiene and rural lifestyle as a whole.