In the morning of March 24, 2021, in Nam Dinh City, the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) collaborated with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) of Nam Dinh province to organize a final project meeting for synthesis and dissemination of project results and lessons learned of the project “Comparative pilot waterway municipal plastic waste management practices for reducing marine plastic pollution in Nam Dinh, the Red river delta Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam”. The meeting aimed to summarize the project processes, activities and results, and to disseminate the project lessons learned to stakeholders, thereby promoting maintenance and replication of the project successes at all levels.

Figure 1. Delegates at the meeting summed up and disseminated the results and experiences of the project

The meeting was attended by over 100 delegates including national-level agencies representatives: Vietnam Administration of Sea and Islands, Vietnam Inland Waterway Administration and the Branch of Northern Inland Waterways; donor USAID/MWRP; Vietnam Academy for Water Resources; VUSTA; MCD; related environmental organizations; and delegates from Nam Dinh: Leaders and officers of DONRE; representatives of Department of Transport, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Education and Training, Provincial Youth Union, Water resources management Sub-department, Traffic Police Division, Riverway Management Company No.5, Nam Dinh Inland Waterway Port, Nam Dinh Environmental Joint Stock Company, Nam Truc Green Environment Company; Leaders of the People’s Committee and officers of the Division of Natural Resources and Environment of Nam Dinh City, My Loc District, Giao Thuy District, Nam Truc District; Leaders of the People’s Committee, environmental cadastral officers and representatives of community organizations of Tran Te Xuong ward, Vi Xuyen ward, Vi Hoang ward, Nam Phong commune, My Tan commune, Giao Hai commune, and Giao Xuan commune; The core community groups operating the waste management tools in My Tan commune, Tran Te Xuong ward and Giao Hai commune; Xuan Thuy National Park Management Board; Leaders and the representatives of youth union members of Nam Dinh College of Economics and Technology. The meeting was reported by representatives of national and local press and television agencies.

The project “Comparative pilot waterway municipal plastic waste management practices for reducing marine plastic pollution in Nam Dinh, the Red river delta Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam” was funded by USAID through DIG under MWRP and implemented by MCD and its partners in Nam Dinh province from 2018 to 31/03/2020. This project aimed to pilot innovative, low-cost technology measures in combination with social solutions to enhance the waste management along rivers and at estuaries, thereby contributing to improved management of the solid waste and reduction of the plastic pollution in the riverine and marine environment of Nam Dinh province. At the final meeting, the key project implementers including MCD, experts and representatives of local authorities and core community groups from the project areas reported on the processes and activities of the project, and shared the results and lessons learned from the pilot model implementation, in which the most highlights included the successful design, production and operation of pilot river waste collection tools – trash trappers, the connection and facilitation of the key waste management stakeholders in public-private-people partnerships, and integration of the project achievements into the local solid waste management system. 

The project has achieved notable results, fulfilled the targeted objectives, with over 320 tons of plastic waste collected, sorted and treated through the project’s initiatives and solutions; over 18,500 people directly participated in project activities, nearly 3,400 people have been strengthened capacity through training, dialogue and technical support activities on solid waste and plastic waste management; about 11,500,000 people have accessed to the project information and implemented activities; 25 agencies, units, and organizations have coordinated in implementing activities to improve the efficiency of collection, separation and treatment of solid and plastic waste in the project areas.

Figure 2: Ms. Duong Thi Nga, the Director for International Cooperation Department of VUSTA delivering a keynote speech at the meeting

In her key-note speech at the meeting, Ms. Duong Thi Nga, the Director for International Cooperation Department, Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) – the administrative managing agency of MCD, highlighted that VUSTA supports the projects on marine environment protection in general and on marine plastic pollution reduction in particular that MCD has been conducting. Ms Nga also encouraged MCD to continue cooperating with donors, partners and provinces to spread the successes of this project and to develop and implement new meaningful initiatives in the future.

Figure 3. Ms. Ho Thi Yen Thu – Permanent General Director of MCD Center

At the meeting, Ms. Ho Thi Yen Thu – Permanent Deputy Director of MCD said: “The Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) has a long journey of having supported Nam Dinh province over the last 15 years in environmental protection, ecosystem conservation, and improvement of coastal community life. With this project, MCD and local authorities have chosen a new and challenging aspect of waste management – piloting a model to enhance the collection, sorting, and treatment of solid waste floating in the waterways from river to sea. The project has applied an integrated approach, with combination of technology measures and social solutions, and public-private-community partnerships, in which MCD has played the roles of technical and governance assistance provider, connector and facilitator. MCD is very delighted that the pilot model has gained meaningful successes and proved to be replicable. We sincerely thank for the enthusiastic support and effective cooperation of national and local agencies, local communities, and donor partners during the project implementation.”

Figure 4. Mr. Hoang Trong Nghia – Director of Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Nam Dinh Province

Mr. Hoang Trong Nghia – Deputy Director of the Nam Dinh DONRE shared: “The project “Comparative pilot waterway municipal plastic waste management practices for reducing marine plastic pollution in Nam Dinh, the Red river delta Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam” has significantly contributed to raising the attention and awareness of Nam Dinh officials and local people about solid waste and plastic waste pollution. The project has successfully tested new initiatives contributing to the improvement of plastic waste management in the marine environment of Nam Dinh province. We appreciate the efforts of MCD, national and international partners and experts who have supported the implementation of this pilot model of solid waste management from river to sea. We hope that we will continue to coordinate more closely and successfully in the next projects in Nam Dinh, for clean river blue sea.”

At the meeting, the delegates discussed, exchanged ideas and reached consensus on the coordination among the parties to maintain and replicate the successes of the pilot model associated with the next projects and initiatives in Nam Dinh as well as in the Red River Delta region, to manage more effectively solid waste and contribute to the implementation of the National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Waste Management.

Information posted on mass media at: http://ven.vn/improving-waterway-municipal-plastic-waste-management-practices-44453.html

The Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) is a Vietnamese NGO established since 2003, pioneering marine ecosystem and environment conservation, striving for a sustainable coastal zone of Vietnam with healthy and safe environment, sustaiable ecosystems and good quality of life for its coastal communities, especially the most vulnerable.

For more information, please visit http://mcdvietnam.org/en/