Young people are kind to the environment.

"Picking up trash - Planting trees - Sowing green seeds for the future" is the slogan and motto of the Hue Trash Lovers Association, which has attracted a large number of young people and students from universities and colleges in Hue City to participate.

Beyond simply cleaning up the environment, the Hue Association for the Protection of Waste also aspires to create a springboard for change in mindset and action in the fight against plastic waste.

Small actions, big changes.

As is customary, every two weeks on weekend mornings, members of the Hue Trash Lovers Association gather at Thuan An beach (Hue City). After a brief meeting, everyone eagerly puts on gloves and masks and begins the task of picking up and collecting trash along the more than 1km long Thuan An beach.

Some types of waste, such as tree stumps and wooden planks, are collected and placed in public trash cans for sanitation workers to pick up and transport to a central waste disposal site for processing according to regulations. Other types of waste, such as beer cans and plastic bottles, are collected by group members for sorting and resale to recycling facilities.

Members of the Hue Trash Lovers Association clean up trash in the Thuan An beach area.

According to Truong Ngoc Anh, a student at Hue University of Science and a pioneering member of the Hue Association for the Protection of Recycling, Thuan An beach was once considered by King Thieu Tri as the 10th most beautiful of the 20 scenic spots of the imperial capital. Famous for its long stretch of fine white sand and clear blue water, it attracts a large number of tourists and locals every summer. However, the lack of awareness and widespread littering by many people has caused Thuan An beach to gradually lose its original beauty.

"Many tourists and locals flock to Thuan An beach to swim, and they have a habit of directly littering on the beach even though there are trash cans nearby. Seafood shells, plastic bags, plastic bottles, rice flour wrappers... left on the beach are washed away by the waves, causing environmental pollution," Ngoc Anh confided.

According to Mr. Ho Huu Phuc, the head of the Hue Waste Lovers Association, after more than a year of operation, the Association, which started with 7 core members, has now gathered a large number of volunteers of all ages. The main activity of the association is "Cleanday Sunday" - where people work together to clean up, sort waste, and plant trees.

"The work of the members of the Hue Association for the Protection of Waste not only contributes to maintaining environmental hygiene but also has a ripple effect, raising people's awareness of environmental protection. Thanks to this, it has inspired a spirit of self-awareness and community consciousness, encouraging people to reduce littering and work together to protect a green, clean, and beautiful living environment," shared Mr. Ho Huu Phuc.

Children in Hue City joined members of the Hue Association for the Protection of Recycling in collecting plastic waste.


Exchange trash for gifts for the poor.

Beyond simply picking up trash, the Hue Trash Lovers Association has many special initiatives, such as collaborating with the Thuan An Coastal Border Guard Station of the Hue City Border Guard to plant hundreds of casuarina trees as windbreaks, collecting and recycling plastic waste into items for sale to raise funds, organizing environmental protection awareness campaigns in schools, and supporting disadvantaged families with income from recycling and selling plastic waste.

Mr. Ho Huu Phuc added that after more than a year of operation, the Hue Waste Lovers Association has achieved encouraging results by collecting over 100kg of various types of waste, planting 1,200 new trees along the coast, donating hundreds of gifts to poor households, and distributing hundreds of free bowls of charitable porridge at hospitals in the area. But most importantly, it has brought about a change in people's awareness.

“The ‘Waste Lovers’ Association is researching expanding this model to other localities in Hue City, notably by repairing rough roads to make traffic safer for people. Every recycled plastic bottle, every tree planted, has great significance.”

The Hue Association for the Protection of Waste, in coordination with officers and soldiers of the Thuan An Coastal Border Guard Station, planted hundreds of casuarina trees to act as windbreaks along the coast of Hue City.

The journey of the "green warriors" of the Hue Waste Lovers Association is a vivid testament to the power of community. From small actions – picking up a piece of trash, planting a tree – they are gradually changing the face of Hue City.

Mr. Phan Ngoc Tho, former Standing Deputy Secretary of the Thua Thien Hue Provincial Party Committee (now Hue City), shared that in recent years, Hue has spread a positive spirit in propaganda and action to raise community awareness in minimizing the use of packaging, plastic bags, and single-use, non-biodegradable plastic products. All these activities have limited and reduced a large amount of plastic waste, contributing to making the ancient capital of Hue greener, cleaner, and brighter every day.

However, Hue has not yet overcome all the challenges and obstacles in improving the environment and reducing plastic waste... Through practical and creative programs, projects, and movements, coupled with the spirit of loving Hue, as demonstrated by the members of the Hue Waste Lovers Association, the concern about plastic waste will no longer be a problem for the living environment in the not-too-distant future.

NHAT BAO - DAI TRANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nguoi-tre-tu-te-voi-moi-truong-post802707.html