On January 21, 2021, in Nam Dinh City, the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD), in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) of Nam Dinh province, organizes a project kich-off meeting to introduce the projects of “Strategic Plastic Litter Abatement in the Song Hong (SPLASH) ” and “Accelerating effort to reduce plastic waste in Vietnam” to the local stakeholders.

The kick-off meeting was attended by leaders and officers of the DONRE of Nam Dinh province; Representatives of the provincial and local units, including Department of Transport, People’s Committee and Natural Resources and Environment Division of Nam Dinh City, People’s Committee of Districts of My Loc, Giao Thuy, and Nam Truc; Nam Dinh Urban Environment Joint Stock Company, Youth Union, Management Board of Xuan Thuy National Park, People’s Committee of Tran Te Xuong ward; and Leader and officers of MCD.

At the meeting, the MCD Deputy Director summarized the activities that MCD has carried out with stakeholders in Nam Dinh during the period of 2018-2020, with highlights of the achieved results and impacts. The DONRE representative presented the report on waste management up to 2020 in Nam Dinh province and on the results of the coordination between MCD and DONRE on waste management projects.

At the meeting, MCD presented about the contents, plans and cooperation mechanisms to implement the projects in the period 2020-2023 that are coordinated by MCD with funding and technical advice of Ocean Conservancy (OC) ) and accepted by the People’s Committee of Nam Dinh province, where the DONRE is assigned to be the focal point for implementation in Nam Dinh.

The project “Strategic Plastic Litter Abatement in the Song Hong” aims to promote innovative technology solutions and communication to improve solid waste management in riverside and estuaries. The project will focus on improving and replicating the previously tested river trash capture devices on Song Hong and related tributaries in Nam Dinh, as well as monitoring data from these trash trappers to assess waste composition and efficiency of devices. The data and experience gathered from these devices will be used as a basis for communication activities to improve waste management and to promote policies and actions to reduce plastic waste.

The project “Accelerating effort to reduce plastic waste in Vietnam” aims to promote stakeholders cooperation and connect technical supports to increase the effectiveness of plastic waste reduction efforts in Vietnam, contributing to the implementation of the National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Waste Management in Vietnam. This project focuses on research activities to assess the situation of solid waste and plastic waste in the riverine areas and the surrounding municipalities in Nam Dinh province and to support capacity building for local officials.

Delegates in the meeting discussed the situation of solid waste and plastic waste management in each project target area, the project’s meaningful role to Nam Dinh, and agree on the project’s workplans and the mechanisms for cooperation between the related stakeholders to to ensure the proper implementation of the projects with the expected results.

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Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) is a Vietnamese non-governmental organization pioneering in the field of marine and coastal environmental protection and ecosystem conservation, striving for the coastal areas of Vietnam with a clean and safe environment, sustainable marine ecosystems, and good quality of life for coastal communities.

Web: http://mcdvietnam.org

Email: mcd@mcdvietnam.org