Members of Bình Thuận Province's Youth Union and local soldiers take part in a campaign to clean up beaches in Phan Thiết City in August. —VNA/VNS Photo

BÌNH THUẬN — A project funded by Norwey to clean up the oceans has been officially launched in the southern province of Bình Thuận.

The Integrating Resources for the Reduction of Ocean Waste project, worth VNĐ1.4 billion (US$60,000), aims to enhance awareness and change behaviour regarding sorting waste at source among communities, social organisations and marine businesses in the districts of Tuy Phong and Phú Quý, and Phan Thiết City.

Consumption of single-use plastics and non-biodegradable plastic bags will be cut (towards an end goal of no plastic bags or single-use plastic products) through the implementation of policies and activities reducing waste flows from both land and sea operations.

The two-year project is part of a US$1 million programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs entitled Scaling Up a Socialised Model of Domestic Waste and Plastic Management in Five Cities.

The five locations chosen for the project are Quảng Ninh in the north, Đà Nẵng and Bình Định in the central region, Bình Thuận, and Bình Dương in the south.

At the launch ceremony on Tuesday, co-organsied by the provincial Women's Union and UNDP, Lê Tuấn Phong, vice chairman of the Bình Thuận Provincial People's Committee, said in parallel with its socio-economic development, the province was facing environmental problems, especially the discharge of plastic waste.

"Disposal of trash into the environment has generated a large amount of waste which is affecting the environment and causing damage to marine ecosystems,” he said.

Sitara Syed, UNDP's deputy resident representative in Việt Nam, said: “The implementation of this project is very important for accelerating local action for the National Action Plan on Marine Litter Management."

"The project will empower the important role of the informal waste sector and promote strong collaboration and partnership between the informal and formal sector in waste management.”

The project will implement seven models.

Three models in Tuy Phong District will include classification of waste from fishing boats and tourist ships, collecting and segregating domestic waste and reducing marine plastic waste in the residential area of Bình Thạnh Commune, and developing a district-level integrated domestic waste management and zero ocean plastic waste plan.

Phan Thiết City will focus on segregating domestic waste at source and preventing marine plastic waste along Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Road.

In Phú Quý District, recyclable plastic collection groups based on waste sorting at source will improve local people’s livelihoods, while domestic waste segregation at Ngô Quyền High School and domestic waste collections and sorting at source for composting will be implemented in the residential area of Tam Thanh Commune. VNS