Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A community-based waste management project aiming toscale up classification and foster green investment was launched on June 8 inthe northern coastal province of Quang Ninh.

The project, called “Scaling Up a Socialised Model of Domestic Waste andPlastic Management in 5 Cities” (DWP5C), will be implemented in Quang Ninh, DaNang, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan and Binh Duong in a joint effort by UNDP Vietnam,the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnam Administration of Seasand Islands.

Local organisations, including the Farmer’s Union and Women’s Union, will workclosely with people and waste workers to promote green habits of waste segregation,collection and recycling as well as expand markets for secondary materials.

Nguyen Que Lam, Deputy Director-General of the Vietnam Administration of Seasand Islands, said poor management, limited waste treatment capacity and lowpublic awareness on environmental problems were responsible for worseningplastic pollution in Vietnam.

“Vietnam is ranked fourth globally in terms of largest marine plasticgenerators,” he said.

“Only 14 percent of some 1.8 million tonnes of plastic waste is sorted forrecycling by scrap collectors”.

Lam expressed his expectation for the project in terms of “bringingenvironmental and socio-economic benefits to vulnerable groups and to the countryas a whole”.

UNDP Vietnam Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen emphasised the significanceof environmental incentives to help the country efficiently tackle whitepollution and embrace opportunities to move its recycling industry forward.

“In line with the circular economy approach Vietnam is advancing, there is atremendous opportunity for Vietnam to become a leader in the recycling andrecovery market,” she said.

“New technologies and innovations offer a promising avenue to “close the loop”by recovering materials and thereby reducing our need to extract moreresources.

“The project’s practicality lays on the close collaboration between localauthorities and people. Each locality will have their own approach andadaptation in conducting the project.”

In Quang Ninh province solely, the project has cost nearly 287,500 USD with 109,000USD sponsored by Global Environment Facility and UNDP and the rest allocatedfrom the local budget.

In 2019, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc took a bold step to adopt a national actionplan, committing to reduce marine plastic litter by 50 percent in 2025 and 75per cent in 2030.

“Plastic waste does not know borders. It travels across our seas, rivers anddeltas, impacting all societies and economies,” said Wiesen.

“We also need to further enhance harmonised policy packages across ASEANcountries. This includes aligning on materials and packaging types bypromulgating and enforcing pan-ASEAN standards, and sharing and financingresearch and development in alternative materials and recycling technologies.”

On the same day, “Ending Plastic Pollution Innovation Challenge” (EPPIC) waslaunched to find new technology solutions for plastic pollution in coastalareas of Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. The project’s firstphase in 2020 will take place in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay and Thailand’s KohSamui.

Applications will be opened for all ASEAN citizens on June 25./.