Hanoi (VNA) – Two new projects funded by the UnitedNations Development Program (UNDP) in Binh Dinh are expected to collect andavoid around 5 tonnes of plastic per month from entering the sea, as heard at thesides’ recent workshop held in the south-central coastal province.
The workshop introduced the projects that will undertakeactivities aimed at empowering informal waste workers and strengthening theirresilience to vulnerabilities. They will also pilot a waste management model inthe fishery sector, in which fishermen are encouraged to bring back their wasteto shore after every sea journey.
A Material Recovery Facility (MRF) will also be piloted andestablished to improve the local material value chain, support the replicationand expansion, and ensure the sustainability of the integrated solid wastemanagement models.
“We expect the MRF will be able process up to 2-4 tonnes ofplastic per day for re-use in secondary markets, which would help Quy Nhon Cityprevent plastic from ending up in landfills or in the ocean. We will also workwith the City of Quy Nhon to accelerate household waste sorting, segregatingcollection, while introducing innovative alternatives to plastics,” saidCaitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam.
Binh Dinh’s total domestic solid waste (DSW) is about 900tonnes per day. The collection rate is about 47-90% in urban areas (94% in QuyNhon city; and 30% in rural areas. According to data from the UNDP preliminarysurvey in 2022, 17% of the DSW, 20% of which is plastic waste, is recycled.
At the workshop, the provincial People's Committee and UNDPVietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote their cooperation inthe fields of circular economy and waste management; sustainable development ofocean economy; climate change and biodiversity; mine action and sustainablerural development./.