Project for Mekong River without waste kicks off
A waste reduction and circular economy project for Mekong River was launched at a ceremony in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on May 18.
Titled ‘Zero Waste to Mekong River: Pilot Circular Economy model for Floating markets in Can Tho’, it is sponsored by the Dow Chemical Vietnam Limited Liability Company (DOW) and implemented by the Can Tho Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Centre for Supporting Green Development – GreenHub, and the Research Centre for Resources and Rural Development (RECERD).
By managing waste from sources in the city, the project will build and promote a pilot model of a circular economy in Vietnam, reduce waste from rivers into the sea, and create behavioral change in waste management for local communities living on the river.
At the event, Vice Director of the department Cao Thi Minh Thao said the project is set to run at the local Cai Rang floating market and Con Son tourist area.
Related activities will help the city raise awareness on environment protection, and improve environment quality in the two tourist destinations, she noted.
Ekkasit Lakkananithiphan, DOW Director General, expressed his confidence that the project's results and key lessons will be among best practices for implementing Vietnam’s Law on Environmental Protection, in contribution to the Government's goal of reducing ocean plastic waste by 50% and 75% by 2025 and 2030, respectively.
Scheduled to finish in February 2023, the project is expected to collect some 300 – 400 tonnes of waste in both sites annually, and raise awareness on the matter for at least 15,000 residents.
Also at the ceremony, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the project was signed among parties involved.
