The trend of "greening" the use of building materials.

Spreading the message through small actions.

With a rooftop space of less than 30 square meters, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuoc (residing in Phuc Dien ward, Bac Tu Liem district) has personally grown various types of green vegetables to provide clean food for her family. What's special is that all the vegetable pots are made from recycled styrofoam containers, saving costs and maximizing the value of the items, preventing them from being wasted.

Furthermore, Ms. Thược shared that many old household items are repurposed into new decorative objects, extending the lifespan of materials and minimizing waste. Old wine bottles are transformed into decorative vases, while empty water, shampoo, and shower gel bottles are repurposed into decorative potted plants.

"Since the 'mini vegetable garden' on the rooftop became a source of joy for the whole family as we worked together, it has also motivated me to reuse many other products to utilize everything I can to create useful items, and at the same time teach my children to always appreciate everything and not throw away anything that can still be used," Ms. Thược said.

The Phuc Tan public art project uses recycled materials, bringing new life to the neighborhood with its cleanliness and modern appearance. Photo: Pham Tung

Meanwhile, the Phuc Tan public art project utilizes recycled materials, breathing new life into the space. Makeshift garbage dumps and unsanitary habits of residents in Phuc Tan ward and surrounding areas have gradually disappeared. New habits and activities of local people, from children to adults, have gradually transformed the riverside neighborhood into a vibrant and lively area, blending seamlessly with the fresh air and the light and atmosphere created by the artworks.

Locals have gradually become accustomed to the presence of these artworks as a part of their lives, bringing benefits to the landscape and potential livelihoods as the area attracts more visitors, while also generating many ideas for residents to recycle used items.

Mr. Dam Duc Thuy (Phuc Tan Ward, Hoan Kiem District) shared that the public project has brought new life to the neighborhood with its cleanliness and attractiveness. From the habit of throwing away plastic bottles or garbage bags around the front fence of his house, he and his children have now learned how to recycle household items. Pen holders made from recycled plastic bottles, flower pots from plastic bottle shells... beautify their living space. Instead of letting plastic waste harm the environment, recycling it into decorative items not only helps reduce waste but also creates useful and beautiful objects.

According to experts, the advantages of reusing materials in construction include saving on waste disposal costs, reducing harmful impacts on the natural environment, decreasing construction waste, and making full use of resources. In particular, exploiting and using recycled materials in construction will promote creative design ideas and new styles in architecture and interior design.

The use of recycled materials brings great value to living space design and contributes to environmental protection. The sustainability of a residential building will be assessed by the positive effects that the interior space brings to the users, as well as the building's impact on the surrounding environment.

Necessary jobs

With the rapid development of urban areas, many construction projects and infrastructure developments are underway. Old, dilapidated urban areas are being replaced by new, large-scale, and modern structures. The transportation system is also being gradually improved, upgraded, and expanded… However, this development has generated a huge amount of construction waste, impacting the environment and requiring large landfill space.

This situation has led to cities facing a severe shortage of collection and transfer points for excavated soil and construction waste; and an increasing scarcity of natural materials. Utilizing scrap and waste as alternative raw materials in the production of construction materials is one of the solutions to minimize environmental pollution and ensure sustainable development in construction.

According to a representative from the Department of Environmental Pollution Control ( Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ), the amount of solid household waste generated has continued to increase nationwide since 2019. Meanwhile, waste collection and sorting at source still face many challenges and have not been implemented uniformly.

Currently, there are only 1,548 solid waste treatment facilities nationwide. Of these, 1,178 are landfills (accounting for 76.10%), many of which are unsanitary; 340 are incinerators (21.96%). The remaining 30 facilities process solid waste into compost/organic fertilizer, representing a very low percentage of 1.94%.

Suggesting a direction for waste recycling, according to Dr. Tong Ton Kien - Department of Construction Materials, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, construction materials are very rich and diverse in type. The quality of these materials also varies greatly depending on the sources and construction projects. Utilizing waste as building materials not only saves increasingly depleted resources but also reduces transportation costs and increases the efficiency of using natural materials.

Using recycled materials can produce products at a lower cost than using new materials from natural sources, increasing project efficiency. However, to realize this, the government and relevant ministries and agencies need to establish technical standards and requirements for the reuse of recycled materials in construction projects.

"The main components of construction waste include fragments of cement concrete; terracotta bricks, ceramic tiles; cement-sand mortar, lime-cement mortar; construction glass; construction gypsum... All of them can be recycled into common materials suitable for various requirements and provide different economic benefits. All types of construction waste can be used as leveling materials for construction projects, and as recycled aggregates for concrete and mortar," said Dr. Tong Ton Kien.

According to Dr. Tang Van Lam from the Department of Construction Engineering, Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, the production of "green" concrete using cement-free binders from a mixture of fly ash from thermal power plants, blast furnace slag, and ceramic waste is necessary to reduce the pressure of handling waste from thermal power plants and metallurgical plants; minimize the impact of smoke and dust during cement production, and contribute to solving the problem of scarcity of construction materials for projects in Vietnam.

This material aims to minimize negative environmental impacts and increase the sustainability of construction projects by using entirely industrial solid waste to replace traditional Portland cement. Consuming a large amount of solid waste contributes to a greener environment, reduces the release of toxic substances into the environment, and saves natural resources, especially limestone and clay.

 

Data from the Environmental Pollution Control Department shows that the amount of household solid waste generated in 2019 was 64,658 tons/day (of which the amount of household solid waste in urban areas was 35,624 tons/day, and in rural areas was 28,394 tons/day). To date, the amount of household solid waste generated has increased to over 67,877 tons/day (of which the amount of waste in urban areas is over 38,143 tons/day, and in rural areas is over 29,734.30 tons/day).

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/xu-huong-xanh-hoa-su-dung-vat-lieu-xay-dung.html