Vietnam is one of Asia’s five worst polluters of ocean plastic waste, according to international organisations. With 13 million tonnes of waste released to the ocean every year, the country ranks 17th in the world for ocean plastic waste pollution. Plastic bags stuck on tree branches in a protective forest along coastal area of central Thanh Hóa Province. Although there are no official statistics on the amount and varieties of plastic in the Vietnamese sea and islands, plastic waste is easy to see in Vietnamese waters, with the country’s 112 estuaries the main gateways of plastic to the ocean. Numbers from Vietnam’s Association of Plastic illustrate the scale of the problem. In 1990, each Vietnamese consumed 3.8kg of plastic per year, but 25 years later, the figure hit 41kg. As many as 1,000 plastic bags are used each minute but only 27 per cent of them are treated and recycled. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) estimated that … [Read more...] about Vietnam takes action to reduce plastic waste
Reduce landfill waste
Việt Nam takes action to reduce plastic waste
Plastic bags stuck on tree branches in a protective forest along coastal area of central Thanh Hóa Province. - Photo courtersy of Hùng Lekima Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is one of Asia’s five worst polluters of ocean plastic waste, according to international organisations. With 13 million tonnes of waste released to the ocean every year, the country ranks 17th in the world for ocean plastic waste pollution. Although there are no official statistics on the amount and varieties of plastic in the Vietnamese sea and islands, plastic waste is easy to see in Vietnamese waters, with the country’s 112 estuaries the main gateways of plastic to the ocean. Numbers from Việt Nam’s Association of Plastic illustrate the scale of the problem. In 1990, each Vietnamese consumed 3.8kg of plastic per year, but 25 years later, the figure hit 41kg. As many as 1,000 plastic bags are used each minute but only 27 per cent of them are … [Read more...] about Việt Nam takes action to reduce plastic waste
Urgent solutions needed to fight plastic waste ruining oceans and waterways
Viet Nam News HCM CITY — Land-based solutions are urgently needed to address the leakage of plastic waste into the ocean and other waterways, experts said on Thursday at a workshop held in HCM City. The workshop, organised by the US Consulate General in HCM City on the occasion of Earth Day on April 22, was attended by environmental experts, and representatives from NGOs and government agencies. Speaking at the event, US Consul General Mary Tarnowka said that caring for the environment was not only a government challenge but also a community responsibility. “The accumulation of marine debris (which is mostly plastic) is a human-made problem that requires a human solution. People can and must do more to prevent plastics from polluting the oceans,” she said. She called on everyone to play a role by reusing plastic bags, separating food waste from other garbage, and rejecting the use of plastic cups and straws at restaurants and plastic … [Read more...] about Urgent solutions needed to fight plastic waste ruining oceans and waterways
Loans offered to reduce solid waste
Loans offered to reduce solid waste (24-01-2007) HCM CITY — City authorities launched the HCM City Waste Recycling Fund last week in an effort to speed up recycling and reach the goal of reducing by 2010 half the amount of solid waste dumped in landfills. "This will help preserve our environment," Tran The Ngoc, director of the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DoNRE) said. The fund should help the department implement its waste management and recycling strategy, he said. The fund’s total capital of VND100 billion (US$6.25 million) from State budget will be used for loans to organisations and companies that have plan to treat waste. "This shows that local authorities are determined to protect the environment and save natural resources," Phan Minh Tan, director of HCM City’s Science and Technology Department, said. Every day, the city produces 6,000-6,500 tonnes of solid waste, of which 150-200 tonnes are hazardous waste. The amount of waste … [Read more...] about Loans offered to reduce solid waste
City expands waste classification program to six districts
By Van Nam - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC - HCMC's Department of Natural Resources and Environment is preparing a program to classify solid waste in six districts including 1, 4, 5, 6, 10 and Cu Chi, said Nguyen Trung Viet, head of the Department's Office of Solid Waste Management. "Under the government's requests, all selected districts will make their own plans to classify waste," he said. Viet added that each district would use its annual environment protection budget to implement the plan every two years. According to an official from the city's environment department who did not want to be named, the two-year pilot program, worth VND7 billion, in District 6 was unsuccessful as HCMC still lacks the facilities to transport household waste to treatment facilities. "If the city cannot make people classify waste at home the landfill operator will mix inorganic and organic waste into one pile." According to the city's environment department, the city discharges some 7,000 tons of … [Read more...] about City expands waste classification program to six districts