Launch of program to combat plastic pollution in Vietnam's rivers

Events in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho will bring together residents, experts, community leaders, businesses and policy makers to clean up plastic pollution hotspots and share initiatives to help prevent plastic pollution (Photo: UNDP).

The program "Green Warrior, Clean Technology", organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and The Ocean Cleanup in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Can Tho City and Ho Chi Minh City, is a series of events taking place from September 18 to September 20.

The event brings together citizens, experts, community leaders, businesses and policy makers to clean up plastic pollution hotspots, share initiatives to help prevent plastic pollution in rivers, encourage behavioural change in the plastics industry and support policies to stop plastic pollution at source.

Plastic pollution is a particularly urgent problem in Vietnam, seriously threatening not only the environment but also human health and the happiness of many communities living in urban and coastal areas.

A huge amount of plastic waste is being dumped every day in Vietnamese cities, with Ho Chi Minh City alone generating nearly 2,000 tons of plastic waste every day. The Vietnamese government has identified tackling plastic pollution as a top priority and has set an ambitious national target of reducing marine plastic waste by 75% by 2030.

As part of a global initiative to reduce ocean plastic pollution, Can Tho was selected to pilot The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor 003 technology – a state-of-the-art river cleaning system designed to collect up to 50 tons of trash per day. The system has been operational on the Can Tho River since 2021 and was officially handed over to local authorities in April this year.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Duong Tan Hien, Permanent Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, emphasized: "Environmental protection is the common responsibility of everyone. All people of Can Tho City should join hands to protect the ecological environment, preserve and rationally use natural resources, protect biodiversity, preserve the fresh and clean landscape, contributing to building Can Tho City increasingly green - clean - beautiful, sustainable development, rich, beautiful, civilized and modern".

Mr. Marco Piet, Director of the River Program, The Ocean Cleanup, said that to achieve this goal, The Ocean Cleanup has a two-pronged approach: preventing waste from flowing from rivers and simultaneously treating waste that is accumulating in the ocean.

Ms. Dzeneta Mulabegovic, Strategic Advisor to the UNDP Resident Representative for Private Sector Engagement in Viet Nam, said that innovations offer a variety of solutions to collect floating waste in rivers and canals. The main focus is on deploying automated systems that efficiently collect waste ashore, where it can be processed by the city’s waste management system. This approach prevents waste and plastic from flowing from rivers into the sea, contributing to reducing ocean plastic pollution.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/khoi-dong-chuong-trinh-chong-o-nhiem-nhua-trong-cac-dong-song-cua-viet-nam-20240919145459006.htm