Collecting trash in waterways of Cần Thơ City. — VNA/VNS Photo

CẦN THƠ — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Việt Nam, in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of the southern city of Cần Thơ, on September 18 launched a campaign to collect waste and clean the environment in Cái Răng floating market on the Cần Thơ River, one of the popular tourist destinations in Ninh Kiều District which is facing a risk of pollution.

The event aims to raise public awareness and change people's behaviour in waste disposal and recycling while strengthening cooperation between stakeholders to improve the efficiency of solid waste management in Cần Thơ.

According to UNDP's sustainable development specialist Dzeneta Mulabegovic, every year, Việt Nam discharges about 3 million tonnes of solid waste, about 2.5 per cent of which leaks into waterways, while a portion of plastic waste floats into rivers and drifts near the coast and offshore.

Studies from 2021 showed that floating waste from rivers contributes the most to plastic pollution in the ocean, she said.

In Cần Thơ, about 650 tonnes of waste are released to the environment every day, she noted, stressing that despite the high rate of garbage collection at 85 per cent, the city still faces difficulties in managing waste leakage on waterways, floating markets, rivers and lakes, which affects the living environment as well as the natural ecosystem.

Mulabegovic pointed to the need for comprehensive solutions, especially those to change behaviours and waste disposal habits as well as effectively collect, sort and treat domestic solid waste.

She said that one of the major solutions that Cần Thơ should prioritise is to deploy automated systems that efficiently collect waste in waterways and bring it ashore – where it can be processed by the city’s waste management system. This approach helps prevent waste and plastic from floating in rivers before it reaches the sea, reducing ocean plastic pollution, she explained.

Meanwhile, Standing Vice Chairman of the Cần Thơ People’s Committee Dương Tấn Hiền put forward solutions, including launching community campaigns to clean up the environment, plant trees and restore the environment in urban, residential and surrounding areas, especially on lakes, rivers and canals.

Right after the launching ceremony, delegates and local youngster collected waste on the Cần Thơ River and visit the Interceptor 003 system, an automatic waste collection vessel operated by the The Ocean Cleanup (TOC) organisation on the river.

According to the UNDP in Việt Nam, in the past three years, the automatic waste collection system on the Cần Thơ River has collected more than 200 tonnes of plastic waste on the river. — VNS