A female worker collects garbage in Nhon Ly commune, Quy Nhon city. (Photo: VNA)He made the comments at a recent workshop in Quy Nhon city tolaunch the Global Environment Fund and a Norwegian Government-supported 2million USD project to help Vietnam take advantage of its garbage resources,and support ocean plastic waste management.
The project will be piloted in Binh Dinh province at a cost ofabout 1.2 million USD.
At the workshop jointly organised by the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) and the provincial People's Committee, CaitlinWiesen, UNDP Representative in the country said: “Plastic from waste is notrecovered and recycled, causing Vietnam to waste nearly 3 billion USD eachyear.”
In Binh Dinh province, the total domestic solid waste (DSW) isabout 900 tonnes a day.
While the collection rate is from 47 to 90% in urban areas (Quy Nhoncity can reach 94%), and the rate is 30% in rural areas.
Long said tourism growth and general improvements in livingstandards had created more plastic waste.
Quy Nhon city alone produces nearly 300 tonnes of waste a day, 70tonnes of which is plastic waste.
“We hope the plastic recycling project will help the localauthorities improve management capacity, thereby building the image of a green,clean and beautiful destination with 134km of coastline,” he said.
The project will pilot a waste management model in the fisheriesindustry, encouraging fishermen to bring waste back to shore after each trip.
The joint efforts are expected to collect and prevent about fivetonnes of plastic from entering the ocean each month, with the goal of reducing1,000 tonnes of trash entering the ocean each year.
The amount of plastic waste every day in the country reached about19,000 tonnes.
“Tackling marine plastic is vital to the health of our oceans,people and planet and requires an integrated approach that shifts behaviours toreduce plastic use at source, while engaging all players in the value chain toensure that plastic that is used gets re-used,” said Caitlin Wiesen.
A special aspect of the project is the key role of the communeWomen's Union to develop a waste collection point that mobilises theparticipation of the mobile scrap collectors.
To Thi Bich Hue, 31, a scrap collector in Nhon Hoi commune, Quy Nhoncity, said that in 2017, her family was in difficult circumstances.
In 2020, she participated in a training on waste classificationand treatment organised by the commune Women's Union.
She was supported with a bicycle, and every day she went tocollect scrap and garbage.
“Currently, I earn 4 million VND per month, twice as much as before,”Hue said.
On this occasion, the provincial People’s Committee and UNDP Vietnamsigned a Memorandum of Understanding to promote cooperation on circular economyand waste management; sustainable development of the ocean economy; climatechange and biodiversity; mine action and sustainable rural development./.
VNA
