A representative of the mGreen Social Services Joint Stock Company introduces its mobile app in waste sorting, collection management, and recycling waste treatment at the workshop. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

HCM CITY — Digital technology solutions will help promote waste classification at source, and better manage waste collection, treatment and recycling, experts said at a recent workshop held in HCM City.

The workshop was organised by the city’s Centre for Information and Statistics for Science and Technology (CESTI) to introduce a solution for smart cities in waste separation, collection management, and recycling called mGreen.

A recent report by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources found that urban areas dump about 32,000 tonnes of solid waste per day and about 85.5 per cent of it is collected, while rural areas discharge 14,200 tonnes daily and 45-55 per cent of it is collected.

The waste is mainly treated by landfilling (63 per cent), burning (14 per cent) and recycling (10 per cent), while the rest is used for producing organic fertilisers.

The collected waste that is buried or burnt can cause serious environmental pollution. Meanwhile, around the world, between 60-90 per cent of waste is recycled.

Experts repeatedly mentioned the importance of sorting waste at source, as 50-70 per cent of waste contains compounds which can be recycled to create new sources of energy. Waste classification at source would also help to reduce waste treatment costs.

The application of technological solutions in waste classification and collection is being deployed. One such digital solution is mGreen, developed by mGreen Social Services Joint Stock Company, which is one of the leading technology solutions in waste sorting, collection management, and recycling waste treatment through Evoucher on the Mobile Loyalty Coalition Platform.

Trần Thị Thoa, director of the company, said mGreen is a mobile app that educates residents to separate waste at source and encourages them to collect recyclables to earn points and redeem gifts, helping collectors collect waste conveniently.

The system connects residents with collectors and merchants at shops and stores.

It provides three mobile phone applications, including mGreen for sorting waste at source for residents; mGreen Collector which receives collection call requests for recycling collectors; and mPoint Shop for stores associated with mGreen to compare Promo codes, accumulate points, and redeem gifts of mGreen card holders.

The mGreen Loyalty Coalition Platform also provides a system for merchant promotions, where points can be exchanged by mGreen users for customer care programmes.

The company has been cooperating with local authorities, manufacturers, waste collection services, and recycling companies to implement waste separation and collection of recycling in some areas of Hà Nội, HCM City, and the provinces of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Quảng Ninh and Bắc Ninh.

From 2018 to 2020, mGreen was implemented in 10 provinces in the country, with 50 launch events and ‘Greendays’ where people redeem recycled waste in exchange for points and gifts via the mGreen app.

It created 100 recycling collector jobs and 120 environment student ambassadors to promote mGreen and spread awareness about waste sorting. It also contributed to the collection of 200 tonnes of recycling waste.

According to the ministry, about 30,000 tonnes of generated waste per day are recyclable waste. This waste is valued at approximately US$200 million per year.

mGreen expects to capture 5 per cent of this market, which is around $10 million.

It has achieved National and International awards such as ‘Technology to Cope with Climate Change’ from the World Bank, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Việt Nam Women’s Union; the Asia-Pacific Innovation Social Award 2019; and the Top 3 Hà Nội Smart City and Innovation Solution.

Nguyễn Thi from the ministry’s Legal Department said the ministry is building a set of technical guidelines on waste classification at source.

It needs to provide a legal framework on waste classification at source, and issue regulations on prices of collection services, transportation and treatment of domestic solid waste.

In addition, mobilising households, individuals and localities to apply technology, and a digital transformation in the management and implementation of waste classification at source are also needed. — VNS