Men on bicycles are collecting garbage in the streets of  Hà Nội.

Each bicycle carries two bins, one on each side of the back wheel.

They are being used to pick up trash in central areas of the city.

If this idea works, it will also be used in other areas of Hà Nội.

HÀ NỘI — Over the past two months, inhabitants of streets like Hàng Bài, Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Lê Thái Tổ and Hàng Khay in Hà Nội have grown used to seeing garbage collectors riding a bicycle with two dustbins on each side.

Nguyễn Hữu Tiến, general director of Hà Nội Urban Environment One Member Co Ltd (URENCO), said the company started using bicycles in some central districts in June to encourage residents and tourists to comply with environmental regulations in the capital city.

The advantage of the bicycles was that collectors could work in small and narrow lanes in the city, he said.

If the trial proved successful, the plan would be rolled across the whole city, he said.

Đỗ Kim Hà, a worker from URENCO, said although the bikes had only been used for a few months, their effectiveness had been proven.

“It helps save time for collectors and makes work less hard compared with pushing overloaded trash trolleys along the roads,” she said.

Nguyễn Hữu Chiến, deputy director of the Hà Nội Urban Environment One Member Co Ltd’s Hoàn Kiếm branch, said trash collection by bike would help waste collectors and improve locals’ awareness of environmental protection.

Nguyễn Xuân Lan, owner of a shop on Cầu Gỗ Street, said the area around Hoàn Kiếm Lake had become cleaner thanks to the efforts of environmental staff, including those on bicycles.

The green garbage collectors’ uniform, bicycles and dustbin as well as the words printed on the back of their uniform called on people to not litter, she said.

She said that a lot of local residents had been seen picking up litter from the road and putting it in collectors’ dustbins.

As many as 50 bicycles have been handed over to garbage collectors in the capital’s four inner districts of Hoàn Kiếm, Ba Đình, Hai Bà Trưng and Đống Đa since June, Chiến said.

Nguyễn Phương Linh, a resident of Văn Miếu Ward in Đống Đa District, applauded the new strategy.

“At first, I was surprised to see garbage collectors riding on bicycles. This helps to create a new image of garbage collectors in the eyes of people,” she said.

“Using bicycles for garbage collection will ease the pressure on collectors as they can collect at any time,” she said.

Household waste is often dumped on streets in Hà Nội, Linh said, and this model would help build a green and clean city.

While some appreciated the initiative, others voiced concern over its effectiveness.

Vũ Xuân Dậu, from Cầu Giấy District’s Yên Hòa Ward, said it was a waste of human resources. Collectors with bicycles just gathered garbage on the side of the road because garbage on the road and pavement around Hoàn Kiếm Lake was collected by road-cleaner trucks and other environmental staff, he told Hà Nội Mới (New Hà Nội) newspaper.

He proposed agencies assign waste collectors in an appropriate way to avoid redundancy.

Nguyễn Văn Nam, who lives on Khâm Thiên Street, said authorities should consider the long-term effect of the initiative.

Although the capital requirement for purchasing a bicycle was small, it would be quite a big sum of money to purchase hundreds of bicycles, he said.

The budget for bike maintenance and payment for employees was a concern, he said.

In addition, the move seemed on contrary to the trend of mechanisation across the world to cut labour costs. 

“While it may be costly to invest high technology to collect waste it brings higher efficiency due to the reduction of employees and covering expanded areas”, he said. — VNS

GLOSSARY

Over the past two months, inhabitants of streets like Hàng Bài, Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Lê Thái Tổ and Hàng Khay in Hà Nội have grown used to seeing garbage collectors riding a bicycle with two dustbins on each side.

The inhabitants of the streets that are mentioned are the people  who live in homes on those streets.

Nguyễn Hữu Tiến, general director of Hà Nội Urban Environment One Member Co Ltd (URENCO), said the company started using bicycles in some central districts in June to encourage residents and tourists to comply with environmental regulations in the capital city.

To comply means to obey.

The advantage of the bicycles was that collectors couldwork in small and narrow lanes in the city, he said.

If these bicycles have an advantage, they can make life easier for collectors who ride them.

If the trial proved successful, the plan would be rolled across the whole city, he said.

A trial is an experiment.

If a plan is rolled out, it is put in place.

Đỗ Kim Hà, a worker from URENCO, said although the bikes had only been used for a few months, their effectiveness had been proven.

Effectiveness means success.

Nguyễn Phương Linh, a resident of Văn Miếu Ward in Đống Đa District, applauded the new strategy.

Applauded means praised.

A strategy is a plan of action.

While some appreciated the initiative, others voiced concern over its effectiveness.

To appreciate something means to understand that it has value.

An initiative is an idea someone has thought about and made happen.

Vũ Xuân Dậu, from Cầu Giấy District’s Yên Hòa Ward, said it was a waste of human resources.

The human resources of a company or an organisation are all the people who work there.

He proposed agencies assign waste collectors in an appropriate way to avoid redundancy.

To propose means to suggest something.

To assign waste collectors means to organise them and tell them which of them should do each of the different jobs that need to be done.

Appropriate means suitable.

If redundancy were to happen to waste collectors they would no longer be useful and therefore would no longer have jobs.

Although the capital requirement for purchasing a bicycle was small, it would be quite a big sum of money to purchase hundreds of bicycles, he said.

A capital requirement is money that is needed.

Purchasing means buying.

The budget for bike maintenance and payment for employees was a concern, he said.

A budget is a spending plan.

Maintenance for a bike means keeping it going by oiling it, checking its nuts and bolts and screws are tight and that its tyres are pumped up.

Employees are people who work for a company or an organisation.

A concern is something you care and worry about.

In addition, the move seemed on contrary to the trend of mechanisation across the world to cut labour costs. 

Contrary means against.

A trend is a fashion or a movement towards doing something in a particular way.

Mechanisation means getting machines to do jobs rather than having people do them.

“While it may be costly to invest high technology to collect waste it brings higher efficiency due to the reduction of employees and covering expanded areas”, he said.

Efficiency means working perfectly.

If there is a reduction of employees, there are fewer workers.

Expanded areas are areas that have been made bigger.

WORKSHEET

Find words that mean the following in the Word Search:

1. Another word for garbage.
2. Something you can read with the title Hà Nội Mới .
3. Something that contains water and is called Hoàn Kiếm.
4. The month when the Hoàn Kiếm, Ba Đình, Hai Bà Trưng and Đống Đa started to receive their 50 bicycles.
5. Nguyễn Xuân Lan’s business.

ANSWERS:

1. Trash; 2. Newspaper; 3. Lake; 4. June; 5. Shop.