Environment Forum 2024: “Household solid waste management and the role of businesses"

Attending directly at the Hanoi hub were: Prof. Dr. Dang Kim Chi, Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Duc Long, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Cement Association; Dr. Pham Thi My, Editor-in-Chief of Health and Environment Magazine; Mr. Hideki Wada, a Japanese solid waste expert, along with scientists, experts, and managers.

From the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, attendees included: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tho, Director of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment; Mr. Pham Van Loi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Environmental Science, Sea and Islands; Dr. Le Ngoc Cau, Deputy Director of the Viet Nam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change; Mr. Ho Kien Trung, Deputy Director General of the Pollution Control Department; and Mr. Vu Minh Ly, Deputy Director of the Center for Natural Resource and Environmental Communication.

At more than 80 online hubs across the country, there were leaders of local governments; leaders of Departments of Natural Resources and Environment of provinces and cities; and companies operating in the environmental sector nationwide.

This annual event, organized by the Resource and Environment Magazine, aims to actively disseminate and effectively communicate the Environmental Protection Law 2020. This year's forum takes place nearly six months before the implementation of household waste separation from January 1, 2025.

Dr. Dao Xuan Hung, Editor-in-Chief of Resource and Environment Magazine, addressed at the Forum

In his opening remarks, Dr. Dao Xuan Hung, Editor-in-Chief of Resource and Environment Magazine and Head of the forum’s organizing committee, remarked that household solid waste management is the responsibility of the entire society, in which the role of local authorities and businesses is crucial, and the responsibility of individuals is the primary factor in effective environmental protection. He explained that when household solid waste is classified and its value thoroughly utilized, it becomes an extremely valuable resource. If exploited well, it will generate significant revenue for reinvestment in localities and businesses, promoting the development of a circular economy, as household solid waste can become an input material for other production sectors. With its functions, Resource and Environment Magazine hopes, through this forum, to communicate policies to businesses and individuals on waste separation at the source and the use of environmentally friendly materials, reducing single-use plastics, contributing to emission reduction and environmental pollution, and building a developed, modern, and civilized social community.

The message of the 2024 Environment Forum calls for the joint effort of the entire society to effectively implement the Environmental Protection Law 2020 and introduce many initiatives in waste sorting, recycling, and household solid waste management to protect the environment.

Mr. Ho Kien Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Pollution Control

Speaking at the forum, Mr. Ho Kien Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Pollution Control, emphasized that the Environment Forum with the theme “Household Solid Waste Management and the Role of Businesses” is extremely meaningful as it is less than five months before all 63 provinces and cities must implement household solid waste classification according to the spirit of the Environmental Protection Law 2020.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tho, Director of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment

At the forum, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tho, Director of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment, noted, “In 2023, household solid waste amounted to 67,877.34 tons/day, with urban areas generating 38,143.05 tons/day, accounting for 56.19%; rural areas generating 29,734.30 tons/day, accounting for 43.81%. Currently, the solid waste management system is facing many difficulties due to reasons such as a lack of sanitary landfill sites; a lack of advanced and suitable waste treatment methods; and limited resources allocated for solid waste management. In this context, the use of preferential policies and support to promote household solid waste treatment towards a circular economy is very necessary.”

Mr. Pham Van Loi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Environmental Science, Sea and Islands

Prof. Dr. Dang Kim Chi, Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment

M.S Dinh Nam Vinh, the Department of Technology Appraisal, Examination and Assessment (Ministry of Science and Technology)

Dr. Le Ngoc Cau, Deputy Director of the Viet Nam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change

Mr. Hideki Wada, an expert in solid waste from Japan

Dr. Pham Thi My, Editor-in-Chief of Health and Environment Magazine

Mr. Nguyen Minh Cuong, Deputy head of the Household Solid Waste Management Division at the Department of Environmental Pollution Control

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Duc Long, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Cement Association

At the forum, experts, managers, and scientists from Vietnam, Japan, and the World Bank in Vietnam, as well as at more than 80 online hubs across the country, including local government leaders, leaders of Departments of Natural Resources and Environment of provinces and cities, and companies operating in the environmental sector nationwide, shared experiences and proposed solutions and recommendations for the management and treatment of household solid waste based on the actual situation in Vietnam. The accompanying propaganda from press and media agencies contributed to the overall success of this year’s Environment Forum./.

Sy Tung