VietCycle toasts success of recycling scheme

The event was attended by senior representatives from VietCycle- a pioneering business in the establishment of a circular waste ecosystem in Vietnam, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), relevant management agencies, and about 100 representative waste collectors from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

From December 2022 to August 2023, VietCycle, with sponsorship from the AEPW, embraced the goal of collecting and recycling 4,200 tonnes of hard and soft plastic in the two cities.

In addition to collecting, transferring, and recycling plastic waste, the project promoted better living conditions for vulnerable waste collectors, dubbed ‘the green warriors’, by raising issues surrounding their social and legal security and championed the value of their profession while also helping them pay for health insurance and rent.

Nguyen Van Tuan, director of VietCycle, noted that after nine months of implementation, the project harvested inspiring results beyond expectations.

Tuan said, "The AEPW is supporting health insurance for nearly 600 informal workers, and this project has enabled fair working conditions and increased income for informal waste workers."

The total collection and recycling output has surpassed 4,400 tonnes, and the number keeps increasing.

VietCycle and AEPW are working with several domestic and international organisations, such as the WWF, ALBA, Vietnam Zero Waste Association, and Duy Tan Plastics, to support the many vulnerable women involved in waste collection.

“Let's work together for a sustainable Vietnam, for a living environment that is civilised, healthy, and safe for everyone,” added Tuan.

According to Nguyen Thi Huong, head of Hanoi Sub-Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s Environment Assessment, "Pollution, and plastic pollution in particular, remains one of the priorities of the government."

Plan 232, instigated by Hanoi People's Committee in 2019 to combat plastic waste and plastic-bag use in the capital and surrounding areas, has raised community awareness to reduce plastic waste and promotes biodegradable plastic packaging.

“Starting from December 31, 2030, the production and import of single-use plastic products will be prohibited, except for products certified with Vietnam eco-labels,” Huong said.

Several city-based state agencies already no longer use plastic water bottles in meetings and conferences, nor plastic banners for meetings and conferences. The Department of Finance has been instructed to withhold funding in certain situations should plastic water bottles or plastic banners be used.

Senior advisors from AEPW stand with waste collectors at the event

Doan Anh Thu, senior project advisor, Asia-Pacific, AEPW, said “The support this scheme has shown these women is a meaningful and humane act. Our waste collectors have overcome many difficulties to do this job and I believe that ordinary individuals, when united in a cause, can achieve extraordinary things.”

“VietCycle, alongside the AEPW, is passionate about protecting the environment and ending plastic waste. We aim to end plastic waste by utilising the circular economy. This is not the end, but merely a starting point, a stepping stone to reach our goals, and with the support of our partners and the government, we can also achieve extraordinary things,” Thu added.

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