Like other residents of Ha Trung ward, Ha Long city, Ms Doan Thi Yen brings waste sorted at home to the city dump every day. Yen said: “We collect waste, plastic bags, and raincoats that people dump on the road, bring them home to clean and dry them and then gather them in one place. We also make hats, bags, and small baskets of flowers from recycled waste.”

Ms Dinh Thi Luyen of Ha Phong ward has for the past few years used organic fertilizer made of kitchen and agriculture waste. Ms Luyen said that after 6 months using the fertilizer on her tomato and cucumber gardens, the soil has become softer and productivity has increased: “It costs us a lot of money to use chemical fertilizer – 40 USD to 80 USD for 360 square meters. Using organic fertilizer helps us lengthen the harvest time, reduce costs, and increase income. If we didn’t recycle our waste, we would have to spend even more time and efforts disposing and burying it.”

More than 5,000 women union members have participated in the models of sorting waste and recycling waste for money. They earned more than 8,700 USD which was used to support local disadvantaged people. Many people have used recycled plastic waste to make bricks, chairs, flower pots, bags, and toys. Pham Thi Minh Nguyet, Vice Chairwoman of Ha Long city’s Women’s Union, said: “We hope the models launched by the Women’s Union will be further expanded around the city to mobilize the public to protect the environment. We hope that the models will make Ha Long city cleaner and more beautiful.”