Hanoi (VNA) – The goodmanagement of waste helps ensure urban beauty and safety, protect people’shealth, reduce air and water pollution, adapt to climate change and spur economicdevelopment, Japanese experts said at a workshop in Hanoi on April 24.

They said Japan has issued suitablepolicies and laws in each development period in an effort to protect theenvironment, and the country has been seen as a pioneer in waste treatmenttechnologies.

Naomichi Murooka, Deputy ChiefRepresentative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said wastemanagement has become a pressing issue in Vietnam.

Although Vietnam has devised timelypolicies on waste management, the country still faces challenges in this field,he said.

Meanwhile, Yamada Masato from Japan’sNational Institute for Environmental Studies pointed out problems facingVietnam like the lack of landfills, air and water pollution around landfillsand the disapproval of local people living around landfills.

Japan is applying waste-to-energy technology,he said, stressing that Vietnam should consider cost and management issuesbefore employing this technology.

Hoang Van Thuc, Deputy General Director ofthe Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resourcesand Environment (MoNRE), said Vietnam is pursuing a waste-free and circulareconomy as waste is considered as resources in many countries.

Vietnam has taken solutions to improve theefficiency of waste management, he said, citing the Government’s Resolution No.09/NQ-CP dated February 3, 2019 under which the MoNRE was tasked with wastemanagement.

Proposals made by international expertswill serve as the foundation for the amendments to the Law on EnvironmentalProtection, he added.-VNA