HCM CITY — The city has seen positive results from its programmes on “building a civilized city without waste”, according to participants at a meeting held by HCM City’s Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee on Tuesday (August 29).

Party leaders at all levels and representatives of city departments, various sectors and agencies, together with officials from local authorities, attended the dialogue.

Deputy chairwoman of the city’s Việt Nam Committee Fatherland Triệu Lệ Khánh said the city had organised hundreds of activities and campaigns, which had contributed to raising people’s awareness about environmental protection.

In recent years, the city’s authorities and agencies have seen positive results from more than 1,600 programmes and campaigns on environmental protection, distributing 616,000 leaflets and 22,100 posters, and attracting more than 530,000 participants, according to Khánh.

In addition, 48 seminars on environmental protection were organised for ethnic minorities and members of various religious groups, she said.

Ninety per cent of households have registered to collect garbage, 528 residential areas were recognised as having made positive changes in environmental protection.

Many models to build a waste-free city have been implemented effectively in recent years, such as sparing 15 minutes per week to clean the environment; avoiding the use of plastic bags; sorting waste at source before it is collected; and keeping streets clean and green.

However, problems still exist, including continued low awareness of the public; littering in public places and residential areas; and residents’ lack of co-operation on garbage collection.

Lâm Ngọc Hoa, deputy chairwoman of the city’s Women’s Union, said that local authorities should call on local people to contribute to building a civilized city without waste, and closely monitor the implementation of regulations and laws on environmental protection.

The city’s People’s Committee will organise a mass campaign on protecting the environment in late September to call on more responsibility from the community, she said.

A representative from District 10’s labour federation said that local authorities and agencies should strengthen the monitoring of garbage collection and strictly fine violators for littering in public places. — VNS