Yen Bai: A workshop on household solid waste management towards a circular economy

The workshop scene

In recent years, Yen Bai province has paid significant attention to the issue of handling household solid waste. However, many challenges still remain. Solid waste in remote areas is often not collected and processed centrally but managed on-site within household premises, which make it challenging to oversee. Several landfills in the mountainous districts serve mainly as waste storage sites and lack proper waste management. Environmental awareness in production and daily life is not very high, especially in terms of waste separation at the source. There is a growing amount of non-biodegradable waste from daily activities and production, such as plastic bags and bottles, which is difficult to decompose and collect.

Dr. Tran Van Mieu, Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Nature and Environment Protection, delivered a speech at the workshop.

During the workshop, scientists exchanged information and assessed the current state of management, monitoring, planning, and treatment of household solid waste in the province. They discussed the existing challenges and limitations and proposed solutions for managing household solid waste in the future. Dr. Tran Van Mieu, Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Nature and Environment Protection, also provided valuable insights into the necessity of managing household solid waste in a circular economy model and practical implementation solutions. From the perspective of a circular economy, household solid waste should not be considered as materials to be discarded but as resources to be used in the production and processing of other higher-value products.

To create value from waste in a circular economy, waste is categorized into four types: wasted resources (non-renewable), wasted capacity (unused capacity during its use), wasted lifespan (premature expiration), and wasted hidden value (unrecovered value from waste streams). Sixteen models for collecting, transporting, and processing household solid waste linked to a circular economy were also analyzed and introduced. Based on this, 11 solutions for developing circular economy models in household solid waste management, which complement each other to form a coherent system for sectors, localities, organizations, and individuals, were proposed. These solutions include enhancing communication and raising awareness, adjusting energy planning to reduce dependence on natural energy sources, promoting green lifestyles, and encouraging the development of green, sustainable, and circular economic models.

The seminar holds significant importance as it provides practical scientific arguments for the "green" development goal within Yen Bai Province's philosophy of "green, harmonious, distinctive, and happy" development.