MCD and partners deepen footprints for environmental care in Nam Dinh

The inauguration of MRF in Giao Hai commune, Giao Thuy district, Nam Dinh province

This event was organised in response to the annual International Coastal Clean-ups (ICC) that was first initiated by Ocean Conservancy more than 30 years ago in the US and was brought to Nam Dinh by MCD more than 10 years ago.

The event also aimed to respond to the anti-plastic waste movement launched by the Vietnamese prime minister in last June. At the same time, it was to support the implementation of the action plan on waste management, marine plastic waste reduction, as well as the enhancement of reuse, recycling, and proper treatment of domestic waste in Giao Hai commune which is supposed to be spreading to Giao Xuan and other communes in the buffer zone of Xuan Thuy National Park.

Attending the ICC "Clean Village, Blue Sea" event and the inauguration of a pilot materials recovery facility (MRF) today were delegates from MCD, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Giao Thuy district, the Management Board of Xuan Thuy National Park, the People's Committee, and social organisations of Giao Hai and Giao Xuan communes, as well as nearly 200 volunteers including youth, students, women, and other locals.

Ho Thi Yen Thu, standing deputy director of MCD, delivering the opening remark

According to Ho Thi Yen Thu, standing deputy director of MCD, the ICC event and the pilot MRF are being implemented to raise public awareness about better waste management, keeping the environment green, clean, and beautiful, alongside promoting the practice of properly collecting and classifying waste.

“These activities aim to minimise plastic waste in daily life, compost organic waste to create fertiliser for agriculture, and increase reuse and recycling in order to minimise the amount of waste discharged into the environment and into the sea, striving towards a zero-waste community,” Thu said in her opening remarks at the ceremony.

The project aims to help locals have a full sense of responsibility for environmental protection

Tran Van Huyen, vice chairman of Giao Hai People's Committee said, “The People's Committee of Giao Hai commune believes that this activity will help the locals in the commune to have a full sense of responsibility for environmental protection, and encourage them to collect and classify household waste, instead of dumping it into the sea."

“We will proactively conduct this ICC activity in our commune and operate the pilot MRF, contributing to the implementation of the action plan on waste management of Giao Hai commune in particular and the successful implementation of the new rural model of Nam Dinh province in general.”

These activities took place within the framework of the pilot project on municipal waterway plastic waste management practices for reducing marine plastic pollution in the Coastal World Biosphere Reserve of Nam Dinh, Vietnam and other supportive initiatives including “Promoting zero-waste initiative in Vietnam through coastal strongholds" and "International Coastal Clean-up – ICC" led by MCD in collaboration with local partners in Nam Dinh, with funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Pacific Environment (PE) and Ocean Conservancy (OC).