Project aimed at reducing plastic river waste ends next month

The meeting was held on November 29 in Nam Dinh City and was attended by over 100 delegates, including representatives from several national-level agencies.

The project, due to end in December, has been funded by Ocean Conservancy and implemented by MCD and its partners in Nam Dinh province. The project hoped to promote innovative technological and communication solutions to improve solid waste management in the Red River Delta in Nam Dinh.

At the final meeting, extensive reports were provided that covered the processes and activities of the project, and shed light on the results and lessons learned since implementation.

The project also conducted several research activities about the river and coastal waste in Nam Dinh and carried out various communication campaigns with the help of local media to raise awareness of plastic pollution and promote solutions.

The project fulfilled the targeted objectives, with over 15,000kg of plastic waste collected, sorted, and treated. There have been about 4,500 direct participants in the project with a further 800 participants taking part in training, dialogues, and technical support activities. Nearly 19 million individuals have accessed information on the project, while 45 different agencies have been engaged since the project started.

Speaking at the meeting, Ho Thi Yen Thu, permanent deputy director of MCD said, “MCD has supported Nam Dinh province for more than 20 years as it has sought to protect and conserve its environmental ecosystem and improve the quality of coastal community life. Ocean plastic waste is a serious problem. When improperly disposed of or ineffectively managed, waste can leak into waterways and flow into the sea. With this project, we focused on improving waste management in the Red River and Dao River areas."

"With a lot of international guidance and experience, the project aimed to promote local technology and indigenous knowledge to mobilise stakeholders. The project established a 'trash-trapper network' on the rivers, providing a practical model for collecting waste and resulting in a positive impact on the community," added Thu.

Do Quang Trung, deputy director of Nam Dinh DONRE said, “The project has contributed significantly to an increase in awareness of solid and plastic waste pollution in rivers and coastal areas. The 'trash-trapper initiative' has been refined and replicated in other locations along the Red and Dao rivers. We appreciate the efforts of MCD and its partners who supported the implementation of this project. We hope that we will continue to coordinate closely on the next project in Nam Dinh, for clean rivers and a blue sea.”

In the plenary discussion, participants shared insights into methods of river waste monitoring and assessment, and their experience in implementing the 'trash trappers'.

They also discussed and agreed upon how stakeholders can maintain and replicate the successes of the project, including taking over the management and operation of the 'trash trappers' with appropriate financial and governance mechanisms after the project ends.

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