On the morning of January 28, 2021, the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) cooperated with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) of Nam Dinh province, the People’s Committee of Tran Te Xuong Ward, and local partners to organize the launching ceremony of a river trash capture tool (hereinafter referred to as a “trash trapper”) at Municipality 01, Tran Te Xuong ward, Nam Dinh city.

The trash trapper is funded in part by USAID through “Comparative pilot waterway municipal plastic waste management practices for reducing marine plastic pollution in Nam Dinh, the Red river delta Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam” project, and by U.S.- based NGO Ocean Conservancy through “Strategic Plastic Litter Abatement in the Song Hong (SPLASH)” project. These projects are managed and implemented by MCD in collaboration with the Nam Dinh DONRE and other local and national partners.

                               Delegates and residents visiting the trash trapper

The ceremony was attended by national-level government representatives from the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration and the Branch of North Inland Waterways and Vietnam Administration of Sea and Islands; donors from Ocean Conservancy and USAID/DIG; technical experts from Vietnam Academy for Water Resources; and MCD. Delegates who participated in the ceremony from Nam Dinh include: leaders and officers of the DONRE; representatives of the Department of Transport, Water resources management Sub-department, Traffic Police Division, Riverway Management Company No. 5, Environmental Joint Stock Company; leaders of Nam Dinh City People’s Committee and officers of Division of Natural Resources and Environment; People’s Committee leaders and environmental cadastral officers of Vi Xuyen ward, Vi Hoang ward, Nam Phong commune, My Tan commune; Representatives of Division of Natural Resources and Environment of Nam Truc, Giao Thuy, My Loc districts; leaders of the Party Committee, People’s Committee, People’s Council, and representatives of the Youth Union and Women’s Union of Tran Te Xuong ward; representatives of the trash trapper operation groups in My Tan commune and Tran Te Xuong ward; and over 100 local people representing the community in the neighboring area where the trash trapper will operate. The ceremony was witnessed by representatives of national and local press and television agencies.

                     Ms. Ho Thi Yen Thu – Permanent Deputy Director of MCD

At the ceremony, Ms. Ho Thi Yen Thu – Permanent Deputy Director of MCD said: “In the world, several tools to collect trash in the waterways have been invented and manufactured, but they either are at the experimental stage or have been to the market but with high cost and cannot be widely replicated. In Vietnam, with the support of international donors such as Ocean Conservancy and USAID, MCD together with partners and experts have researched, designed, produced, and tested a river trash capture tool, called a trash trapper. After one year of the testing process, the trash trapper collected more than 18 tons of floating trash on the Song Hong, showing the feasibility and effectiveness of the tool. Therefore, this river trash capture tool will be further supported by MCD and donors to be installed in Nam Dinh. Today, we are delighted to announce the launch of the trash trapper at the Dao River, Tran Te Xuong ward, Nam Dinh city, and firmly believe that this trash trapper will be successfully received and operated by the local authorities and communities.”

The research, design, and manufacture of the river trash capture tool was led by MCD and Nam Dinh DONRE, with the participation of domestic and foreign experts, local officials, and local communities. It has obtained professional appraisal and permission for operation by the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration. Trash trappers are located at riverine areas, contributing to the pilot model of strengthening waste management in riverine areas in Nam Dinh.

                  Mr. Phan Van Phong – Deputy Director of the Nam Dinh DONRE

Mr. Phan Van Phong – Deputy Director of the Nam Dinh DONRE said: “The tool to capture trash on the river is a new technological solution. We appreciate the efforts of MCD and the experts who have supported Nam Dinh to apply this tool. According to the initial test results, the tool is quite suitable for local conditions, effective in application, making an important contribution to the collection of floating waste and thus minimizing waste from river to the sea. We are delighted to receive and operate this trash trapper and hope that more trash trappers will be installed in Nam Dinh with the support of MCD and donors in environmental protection projects.”

From the perspective of a funding partner and a technical advisor, Mrs. Chever Voltmer, – Plastics Initiative Director at Ocean Conservancy, shared: “Ocean Conservancy is thrilled to support this innovative approach to tackling plastic pollution in Vietnam’s Red River. We believe that tech solutions to this crisis need to be locally designed, locally maintained, and cost-effective, and this trash trap device meets all those criteria. It will keep plastics out of a critical ecosystem while serving as an opportunity to increase our shared scientific capacity and knowledge to combat plastic pollution. Together with our valued partners, we look forward to building on this initial success to help Vietnam meet its ambitious goals to fight marine debris.”

                                Delegates cut the ribbon Announcing trash trapper

In the future, through the aforementioned projects, MCD will continue to work with experts to monitor the operation of the trash trappers in accordance with technical requirements and relevant regulations, and to proceed to deploy more trash capture tools at other areas as proposed by the local authorities and communities. We aim to form a trash trapper network on the waterways of the Red River delta, contributing to the reduction of marine plastic waste in Nam Dinh in particular and in Vietnam in general.

Information posted on mass media at: https://bitly.com.vn/p4t86p

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 www.mcdvietnam.org