Mountain of candy waste dumped despite prohibition signs - Photo: Tien Phong In the days after Tet, images of a giant mountain of candy waste still in its original boxes and labels appeared on social media, surprising many people. The above amount of candy was identified at a spontaneous landfill in La Phu Industrial Park (La Phu commune, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi), a locality with a long history of candy production. According to local people, this amount of candy was dumped by production facilities in La Phu commune at the end of the year, after authorities increased inspection, supervision and handling of a number of production facilities violating food safety regulations. After many days of being exposed to the sun and rain, many types of goods have been damaged and smelled bad, causing serious pollution for many households living around this area. ''This is due to production and packaging facilities, at the end of the year people clean up their factories and leave them here, it's too much because of the stinking flies, sometimes they have to evacuate to another place because they can't live there'', a resident said on VTV's report. According to environmental sanitation workers of Thanh Cong Cooperative, this is the first time this area has seen a large amount of candy being dumped. The team of workers in charge of collecting garbage here has 6 people, with a maximum capacity of receiving about 10 tons of household waste per day. However, the workers resolutely refused to collect expired food dumped here because they said they only collect household waste, not industrial waste. Therefore, the old garbage has not been processed, but every night, expired candy boxes continue to be brought here to be thrown away, causing a giant "mountain of candy" to overflow onto the street, even though the Commune People's Committee has posted signs prohibiting dumping of waste and waste. Ms. Dong Thi Huyen (45 years old - environmental worker) told Lao Dong newspaper that she returned to work on the 4th day of Tet (February 1) and witnessed the "mountain" of candy piled up at the garbage dump on Dong Tien Street. Over the past few days, this amount of candy and discarded food has not been collected by any unit. Most of the goods are still in their original packaging, many are children's snacks. According to records at the scene, most of the cakes and candies dumped here are still in their original boxes, showing no signs of use. Notably, in addition to the cookie boxes, there are many types of fast food such as chicken feet, chicken thighs, sausages, dried potatoes or candies that are loved by children. It is estimated that the amount of candy dumped at this landfill is up to tens of tons. Many expired products, products of unknown origin, and imitations of famous cake brands on the market are scattered everywhere. The packaging of many types of cakes, candies, and fast foods are printed with foreign words, not in Vietnamese. Not only do they pollute the environment and attract flies, but these foods also pose a risk to consumers' health. Regarding this mountain of cake and candy waste, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of La Phu Commune (Hoai Duc) told Lao Dong newspaper that the reason is because some businesses no longer have the need to buy, sell, or distribute cakes and candies, so they throw them into the landfill. Children's favorite products still have their packaging intact, printed with foreign words - Photo: VTC News Mr. Tien also said that this is normal. However, due to the large amount of discarded cakes and candies, while the garbage collection unit has not yet been able to handle them, it has led to congestion. The leader of the People's Committee of La Phu Commune said that the origin and the person who dumped the large amount of cakes and candies into the landfill have not yet been determined. However, according to Mr. Tien, it is not yet possible to confirm that it was entirely dumped by La Phu residents because the landfill is near the border with other communes and wards. "This strange batch of candy has appeared at the landfill for a few days now, we are working with the authorities to verify the origin, as well as track down the dumper to handle it according to regulations," VTC News quoted Mr. Tien as saying. Currently, Market Management Team No. 24 is inspecting and reviewing more than 100 production and business establishments in the commune to detect similar candy samples circulating on the market, thereby proposing a treatment plan. In the immediate future, the People's Committee of La Phu commune said it will coordinate with related units to collect and destroy all of this food.