Tran Thi Hong's bio-tech start-up business in Da Nang can recycle about 100 tonnes of household organic waste into safe dishwashing liquid for sale each day.

A group of volunteers collect waste at a fishing port in Da Nang city. VNS Photo Cong Thanh

Hong, who has been operating the Minh Hong joint-stock company since 2015, has helped 132 poor families in Hoa Minh Ward earn higher incomes from collecting and processing organic waste (vegetable roots, stems and leaves) in sustainable production chains.

Each month, the households collect at least 100 tonnes of organic waste that would have previously ended up at the dump. At the Minh Hong company, fermented organic waste is turned into 2,000 litres of bio-dishwater each day.

“Waste is truly a precious treasure if we can process it into products that can sell,” Hong said. "Vegetable stems and roots are often thrown away and they become smelly and rotten at the dump after several days. This organic waste helps poor families earn incomes five times higher than their normal incomes."

The company, which now has 106 agents and three distribution companies nationwide, has also transferred bio-technology to a community in the northern province of Hung Yen.

The vegetables and stems are processed to make organic products, including safe, hygienic dishwashing liquid, shampoo, floor cleaning and hand-washing liquid.

The company also encourages local communities to return plastic bottles for recycling. Residents can receive a free bio-tech product in exchange for plastic bottles.

Jan Zellmann of Germany, who is vice director and co-founder of Evergreen Labs in Da Nang, said his company offered a solution to recycle waste at waste disposal depots (DEPO).

Waste pickers often collect valuable waste including cans, plastic bottles, paper and metal for the company, but they reject glass, foam, single-use cups and straws because they are considered to be low-value waste.

However, since a large amount of this low-value waste piles up at dumps, the company offers to buy the low-value waste at the same price as other high-value waste they receive from garbage pickers.

“We use a machine to process waste into recycled material to be used for furniture and tile making. This helps to reduce the amount of garbage sent to the dump," Zellman said.

He said the processed waste could be used to make public or hotel trash bins, planks, gym poles or climbing boards, among other items.

Hai Yen, a representative of Refillable Hoi An, has opened the first refillable concept store in Hoi An that refills empty plastic bottles of washing liquid with environmentally friendly detergent or washing liquid.

She said local residents can bring their empty detergent bottles to fill them up with new liquid.

More than 1,200 containers have been refilled since 2018, and another 5,000 bottles are expected to be refilled this year before reaching 12,000 in 2020.

Minh Quan, from 7 Bridge artisanal beer producers in Da Nang, said his company earns a percentage of profit made from a beach cleaning-up campaign that takes place each month.

He said the campaign had helped clear rubbish that had been left by locals and visitors at Da Den rock, a favourite area on the beach at Son Tra.

Waste from beer production is also used to feed livestock at farms, and beer pubs buy safe products from livestock farms.

(Source: VNA/ DA NANG Today)