Bui Trong Hieu, Chairman of the HCM City Urban Environment Co. Ltd, speaks at the workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on May 23 (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – A workshop held in Ho Chi Minh Cityon May 23 highlighted the need for countries around the world to participate inregional and global plastic recycling networks.
Bui Trong Hieu, Chairman of the HCM City UrbanEnvironment Co. Ltd, said plastic waste and plastic pollution are urgentenvironmental problems in the world. In HCM City, about 1,800 out of 8,900tonnes of household waste released each day is plastic, only 200 tonnes ofwhich is recycled, with the rest buried with other types of solid waste, hesaid.
Hieu said the city is pushing ahead withsolutions to minimise plastic pollution, including stepping up the research anduse of plastic waste recycling technologies.
Another important solution is to learn from other countries’experience and take part in regional and global plastic recycling networks, headded.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Salhofer from Vienna-basedUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences said a project namedSEA-Plastic-Edu has been carried out to improve education on plastic recyclingin Vietnam and Laos. It was funded by the European Community Action Scheme forthe Mobility of University Students Plus (ERASMUS ).
Implemented from October 2017 to October 2020,it gathers 10 members which are universities and industrial partners inVietnam, Laos, Denmark, Germany and Austria. The Industrial University of HCMCity is the Vietnamese party in this project.
The project holds training courses on plasticrecycling for businesses, lecturers and students and support the creation ofsafe and environmentally friendly plastic products.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Hung Anh from the IndustrialUniversity of HCM City cited statistics as showing that Vietnam is the world’sfourth biggest plastic waste polluter, following China, Indonesia and thePhilippines.
According to a recent survey on the Sai GonRiver, there are up to 172,000 – 519,000 microplastic fibres and 10 – 233microplastic debris per cubic metre of water, indicating the river’s water ishighly polluted with plastic.
Prof. Dr. Christina Dornark from Germany’sDresden University of Technology proposed Vietnam and Laos boost plasticrecycling solutions, import suitable plastic products and limit imports ofplastic waste as materials for production.
The two countries should also work with internationalorganisations to acquire modern solutions and equipment to ensure safe andenvironmentally friendly recycling, he said.-VNA
VNA
