Green tourism in Da Nang: Turning soap and fruit peels into resources

waste 3 — *Tourists and businesses learn about "green soap" and products recycled from waste on display in Hoi An. Photo: HOANG LIEN*

“Filling Station”, where waste tells a new story

In Da Nang city, the birth of the zero-waste community education model and center has left remarkable marks.

In particular, the "Filling Station" model in Triem Tay community tourism village is considered a solution to reduce waste for the suburban area.

Ms. Pham Minh Tu, a member participating in the waste recycling project here, has been involved in the models "Clean soap recycling" and "Fabric for life" since 2017, after graduating from university.

Ms. Tu said that the "green soap" model means recycling used soap, processing it, and pressing it into soap bars to be given to the poor.

This process has helped hundreds of kilograms of soap from luxury hotels to be reused, contributing to reducing waste to the environment.

Not only soap, the members also collect tons of waste and leftover food from restaurants and hotels in Hoi An ancient town and neighboring areas, bring them to the collection site, and compost them into organic fertilizer to fertilize the medicinal plant garden in Triem Tay.

In addition, they also collect excess fabric from tailors and hotels, process and launder, design and create handmade handbags and wallets, and sell them to raise funds to support charities in Hoi An.

This spread does not only stop at reducing waste, but also shares benefits with disadvantaged communities in mountainous areas, contributing to creating jobs for disabled workers and vulnerable women in the area.

The "Filling Station" in Triem Tay is also a place to display and introduce 8 popular cleaning products and is a place for many tourists, students to visit, study, learn about waste recycling experiences, and raise awareness of environmental protection.

No plastic from reception to kitchen

The spirit of “zero waste” has spread strongly in tourism businesses. An Villa Hotel (Hoi An Dong ward) is a typical unit that “says no to plastic waste”.

*Displaying products and solutions to reduce plastic waste in Hoi An. Photo: HOANG LIEN*

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Trang, in charge of the reception department, shared that the hotel has proactively said "no to plastic bags" and always provides biodegradable bags for guests. An Villa also says no to take-away coffee and plastic bottles.

Instead, the hotel researched the use of essential oils, combined with vinegar and 90-degree alcohol to create a safe mosquito spray product. In particular, they used essential oils from fruit peels to make enzyme hand washing liquid and laundry detergent, which are mainly natural and environmentally friendly products.

"The fight against plastic bags and waste" has been carried out right from the staff, from the stage of classifying plastic waste, reusing recyclable waste. Input management is strict, output must also be strict so the efficiency is very high, receiving positive response from tourists," Ms. Trang affirmed.

At The Field Restaurant of Emic Hospitality Company (Hoi An Dong ward), waste recycling is upgraded into a closed production process.

Enzymes from fruit peels

Mr. Tran Khoi Nguyen, business manager of Emic Hospitality Company, said the restaurant strives to reduce plastic waste and recycle waste for sustainable development goals. The restaurant's bar and kitchen areas generate a lot of water and fruit waste.

Instead of being thrown away, this fruit waste is ground, sugar water is added, fermented, left for 90 days, creating enzymes. This enzyme product is then used for floor cleaning, disinfection, and toilet cleaning. The remaining residue is used as fertilizer for green plants.

Ms. Pham Minh Tu participates in the soap recycling process at the "Filling Station" in Triem Tay

This source-based waste management solution clearly demonstrates the vision: "Waste must be viewed as a resource." Thanks to these efforts, in 2024, The Field Restaurant was awarded the "low carbon emission" certification by Magnus International Thailand.

Ms. Vu My Hanh, an environmental activist, commented that these projects contribute to promoting the trend of developing green tourism and sustainable tourism in the community. In fact, many restaurant and accommodation businesses in the city have gone into solutions towards zero waste, creating many values for sustainable tourism, forming a value chain linking key tourism areas such as: Silk Sense, An Villa, La Siesta, EMM Hotel, Rose Travel....

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Da Nang Tourism Association has approached green tourism and sustainable tourism very early, with the support of non-governmental organizations and the European community through sustainable development projects.
The Association highly appreciates these models and proposes to continue to replicate them on a large scale at destinations in Da Nang city. The Association continues to work with the Vietnam Tourism Association to deploy green standards, recognize green labels, and attach them to qualified tourism service providers.
Chairman of Da Nang Tourism Association Cao Tri Dung

Source: https://baodanang.vn/du-lich-xanh-da-nang-bien-xa-phong-vo-trai-cay-thanh-tai-nguyen-3312489.html