The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Norwegian Embassy in Ha Noi recently held a review on the project of replicating the community model of domestic waste and plastic management in the 5 Vietnamese cities and provinces: Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, and Binh Duong.

After 3 years of implementation, the project has achieved many important results. In particular, 5 effective small-scale domestic waste management models have been developed.

Mr. Patrick Haverman, UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam, informed that the project helped organise 35 training courses for more than 1,800 informal waste workers (IWWs), mainly women. Also, 5 small credit funds which increased income by at least 20% compared to before the project implementation been established.

IWWs are at the front line of recovery and are often seen rummaging through waste to collect all tradeable items like cardboard, metal, and plastic bottles. They work around the clock to find value in discarded items - “a person's trash is another person's treasure” as the old proverb says.In reality, informal waste workers made the largest contributor towards recycling and reuse of waste in the entire country.

Mette Moglestue, Deputy Ambassador of Norway to Viet Nam, said that Norway highly appreciates the strong political commitment made by the Vietnamese government in promoting trash management of trash and the fight against ocean plastic pollution.

However, beyond this project in 5 localities, countries around the world need a joint agreement with global rules to stop the flow of plastic pollution, which will limit plastic demand to a sustainable level and promoting a circular economy to protect the environment, human health as well as prevent plastic leakage into nature.

Reporting by NAM TRAN - Translating by A.THU