Yokohama - Japan's typical environmentally friendly city, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has actively got involved in providing resources and technical support for Da Nang to turn itself into an environmentally friendly city in general, and manage household solid waste in particular.

Localities of Da Nang apply the learning model on solid waste management of Japan's Yokohama City. Photo: PV

Piloting and replicating model

Authorities in Da Nang’s Hai Chau District has launched the campaign "Cleaner and more beautiful; safer; more civilised and polite" in the 2021-2025 period.

In response to the campaign, many localities across the district have been actively involved in raising awareness and responsibility about environmental protection among organisations and individuals.

Since February 26, 2021, Hoa Thuan Tay Ward has begun to develop a plan to carry out the used cooking oil exchange model at associations, unions, and residential areas.

Accordingly, the method of organising the classification and treatment of used cooking oil goes through 4 steps: self-classification, collection, exchange, and recycling.

Most recently, with the support of Yokohama City, IGES and JICA, the ward has promoted purchasing and recycling of used cooking oil.

Mr. Vo Le Anh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Thuan Tay Ward, said that the rate of people participating in the exchange of used cooking oil reached more than 60% in four residential clusters. Also, more than 50% of collective kitchens and food providers have participated in the model.

The amount of used cooking oil discharged into the environment causing blockages in the sewer system has been resolved. In the near future, the ward will expand the scope of targets for street food stalls, restaurants, and collective kitchens that use large amount of cooking oil to process food.

Also under the active support of Yokohama City and IGES, JICA, in late 2022, Nam Duong Ward started to prepare for the implementation of a pilot model of classifying and collecting leftover food.

In June 2023, the ward began applying the surplus food collection model along Huynh Thuc Khang Street from 9:30 am - 12:00 pm daily.

Mr. Nguyen Phuc Bao Nam, Chairman of Nam Duong Ward People's Committee, said that the ward has coordinated with the project’s sponsor to give 200 food containers to participating people and units.

As of late October 2023, the number of households participating in regular food waste transfer had been about 8-10 households per day (equivalent to about 50 kg/day).

Notably, the locality had witnessed the participation of school facilities such as the Hoa Ngoc Lan Kindergarten and the Hung Vuong Primary School, with a total collection volume of 7 barrels/day (equivalent to about 140 kg/day).

After being collected, the leftover food is transported to the cattle and poultry farm in Dai Loc District, Quang Nam Province.

Apply local experience

Five years ago, the first stage of the project of promoting waste sorting at source and Reduce – Reuse - Recycle (3R) programmes in Da Nang was successfully implemented in Hai Chau and Thanh Khe districts under the effective cooperation between the Da Nang and Yokohama cities, plus the accompany of IGES and JICA. This served as a basis for the municipal government to decide to deploy solid waste classification at source by 2025.

After the first stage of the project, Yokohama continues to provide technical support for Da Nang to promote solid waste management, aiming at soon meeting new regulations of the Environmental Protection Law 2020.

Accordingly, the second phase of the project themed ‘Collaboration with Yokohama Municipal Solid Waste Management Experience (D-3RYM) during the 2022 - 2025 period’ has been carried out in Da Nang in a bid to strengthen the municipal solid waste management system from waste separation at source to sustainable resource recycling and treatment.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quang Vinh said that the Yokohama government, IGES and JICA in Viet Nam and their partners have actively supported Da Nang in implementing research on important projects, especially in the fields of environment and climate change. This has significantly contributed to helping the city well implement the project "Building Da Nang into an environment-friendly city" for the periods 2008-2020 and 2021-2030.

“Technical cooperation on sustainable development between Yokohama and Da Nang is one of the city's successful bilateral cooperation programmes. Recently, Da Nang has had practical activities to implement cooperation content and achieve many very positive results” Mr. Vinh emphasised.

In September 2023, a training course on solid waste management took place in Japan’s Yokohama for representatives of units and authorities at local level implementing the project of promoting waste sorting at source and Reduce - Reuse - Recycle (3R) programmes in Da Nang.

During nearly a week of learning experience and taking part in a training course on solid waste management in Yokohama City, the delegation of officials, civil servants and officials of units and authorities at local level of Da Nang discussed the actual progress of the second phase of the project.

Additionally, the delegation visited and learned from experience in building the Kawasaki eco-town, recycling leftover cooking oil to produce soap, Takakura composting method, soil mixing and composting methods in Seya District, oil recycling in Saga City, and food waste recycling for businesses at the J Bio Food Recycle.

The learned experience will be properly applied to localities in Da Nang, thereby bringing certain effectiveness in environmental protection and sustainable development to the city.

Reporting by D.NHU, C.THANG - Translating by M.DUNG