The People’s Committee of Can Gio District, Ho Chi Minh City, and The Center for Supporting Green Development (GreenHub) recently launched the “Plastic waste management in Can Gio based on circular economy model” project.
It is sponsored by Coca-Cola Foundation, and is technically supported by Duy Tan Plastics Recycling. Coca-Cola and Duy Tan are members of Vietnam Packaging Recycling Organization (PRO Vietnam).
Its aspiration and vision are that all of the products produced and distributed in Vietnam by their members will be completely recycled and restored in Vietnam by 2030.
PRO Vietnam is set to achieve this objective by enhancing public awareness and accessibility to recycling in Vietnam, working in public venues, increasing the number of collecting points, improving the collecting process, as well as ensuring recycling capacity to readily process what have been consumed.
The project in Can Gio has been implemented from November 2022 to December 2023 with three main components. It includes local plastic waste assessment; circular economy solutions design and capacity building for stakeholders to implement the model; plastic public outreach and raising awareness, behavioral change promotion and policy advocacy.
Representatives from GreenHub, Can Gio People’s Committee, the Coca-Cola Foundation, and others at the project's launch ceremony.Saadia Madsbjerg, president of the Coca-Cola Foundation, said: “We are proud to support this important project – trialing circularity for plastic waste management in Can Gio District. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate together with partners including the People’s Committee of Can Gio District, Duy Tan Plastic Recycling and GreenHub to help reduce the impact of plastic pollution in coastal regions of Vietnam.”
Tran Nhut Hien, manager of supply chain of Duy Tan Plastics Recycling, said that with the mission of contributing to reducing environmental pollution from plastic waste in Vietnam, the company wants to raise awareness of waste sorting at source, improve income for waste collectors, reduce plastic waste in Can Gio District, and effectively implement the circular economy model.
This will be a pilot model of a new and innovative approach of the circular economy model in plastic waste management in Can Gio, added Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, co-founder and deputy director of GreenHub.
Plastic pollution has increased in recent years around Can Gio due to a large amount of waste from the sea into the Long Tau and Soai Rap river systems and the increase of domestic waste. Plastic waste is putting pressure on Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve – the first world biosphere reserve in Vietnam recognized by UNESCO in 2000.
