In 2023, the Da Nang Urban Environment JSC in cooperation with the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and Japan's Institute for Global Environmental Strategy (IGES), launched a project to encourage waste separation at source and promote recycling (3R) activities in many wards in Hai Chau and Thanh Khe districts.

Since mid-2023, two garbage trucks have been on daily rounds on Huynh Thuc Khang Street in Nam Duong Ward, Hai Chau District, to collect food waste from nearly 100 households, restaurants, and shops during noon and afternoon hours. After emptying garbage bins, sanitation workers return these bins to the properties in order to ensure cleanliness for this area.

Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Bich, the owner of a street food eatery located at 77 Huynh Thuc Khang Street, happily expressed that the two waste collection trips at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm are highly beneficial for households and eateries, contributing to keeping the street cleaner and beautiful.

Mr. Tran Xuan, a representative of the waste collection unit, shared, “We work diligently to collect food waste from Huynh Thuc Khang Street twice a day, occasionally adding an extra round. The collected food waste will be converted into animal feed. We aim to expand this model into more areas across the city, ensuring consistency and benefiting both livestock farms and environmental cleanliness.”

Currently, units and localities across the city actively are active in promoting waste classification and implement pilot models, programs, and projects for food waste separation. This aligns with the goal of expanding and gradually promoting waste source separation in line with the Law on Environmental Protection which will take effect in the country from January 1, 2025.

The 3R project is underway in Nam Duong, Hoa Thuan Tay, Thuan Phuoc, Thach Thang in Hai Chau District, and Chinh Gian, Hoa Khe, Thanh Khe Tay wards in Thanh Khe District. In addition, the project also receives financial and technical support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Yokohama City Government (Japan), with consultancy and support from the Da Nang Urban Environment JSC.

According to Mr. Hoang Thi Ngoc Hieu, the Deputy General Director of the Da Nang Urban Environment JSC, besides collecting food waste from Huynh Thuc Khang Street, the project has provided two Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for the Nam Duong Ward People's Committee in a bid to promote waste segregation at source.

The company, in collaboration with Hoa Thuan Tay Ward People's Committee, has placed bins for collecting used cooking oil from local restaurants, as well as held awareness raising sessions for proper storage and exchange of used cooking oil. Importance will be attached to working with Chinh Gian Ward People's Committee to implement a model for separating and collecting food waste from eating establishments along with used cooking oil from households living on Nguyen Tri Phuong Street. .

The project also includes installing two MRFs and collaborating with Thach Thang, Thuan Phuoc, Hoa Khe, and Thanh Khe Tay wards to launch awareness raising campaigns on household waste source separation, as well as organize a gift exchange using recycles found at home.

Vigilant supervision and intensified efforts are crucial for achieving the highest efficiency during the project until March 2024, with plans for sustaining these activities post-project.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP - Translating by DUY BINH