Rubbish piled up on a roadside in Đông Anh District, Hà Nội. Co-ordination among organisations is needed to improve solid waste management. — VNS Photo Đoàn Tùng

HÀ NỘI — Experts discussed measures to promote a sustainable and effective waste management service in Southeast Asian suburban and urban areas in a conference on Wednesday in Hà Nội.

The conference 'Solid waste management in peri-urban, medium and small urban areas in Southeast Asia' was held by Gret Vietnam, a French non-governmental organisation.

Speaking at the conference, Quentin Lebegue from the French Development Agency (AFD) said a recent report from the World Bank forecast the amount of domestic waste in Southeast Asia and the Pacific would increase by 30 per cent in the next 15 years.

Efforts were often spent on collecting and treating, not recycling and restoring, and waste management in peri-urban, medium and small urban areas received little attention, he said.

Quick urbanisation and industrialisation made domestic waste increase more so local authorities and concerned organisations struggled to treat waste.

The AFD plans to support Việt Nam with VNĐ2.5 billion (US$108,600) to develop a system of collecting and treating waste.

During the conference, domestic and international experts shared their experiences about waste management models, focusing on five main models. They are decentralised solid waste management model in semi-urban Việt Nam, community-based organic waste treatment model and policy advocacy in Đà Nẵng, waste management model in market in Magway (Myanmar), recycling and recovery in Battambang (Cambodia) and solid waste management in Phitsanulok (Thailand).

Nguyễn Hữu Ninh, from Gret Việt Nam, said the increase of waste was a problem.

Research has shown that about one per cent of urban population earn their income from waste.

Representatives at the conference also emphasised that local authorities should be better aware of treating organic waste, and strengthen coordination between concerned organisations to run the work more effectively. — VNS