In early August 2023, the Standing Committee of the Phu Quoc City Youth Union (Kien Giang) in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Vietnam organized the launching ceremony of the green collection station model in Duong Bao hamlet, Duong To commune (Phu Quoc City). This is the 5th green station that was organized.
Prior to that, since 2020, the Standing Committee of the Phu Quoc City Youth Union has collaborated with WWF in Vietnam to build green collection station models in Duong Dong ward, An Thoi ward, Ham Ninh commune, and Cua Can commune.
The green collection stations are built in fixed locations at marketplaces, densely populated areas, with vivid and visual designs, attached with environmental protection messages, and equipped with tools for people to dispose of waste, thereby forming the habit of the people, avoiding the emergence of environmental pollution hotspots.
The model aims to help people develop the habit of waste disposing in designated places, maintaining general hygiene in public areas, and jointly building Phu Quoc City into a green, clean, and beautiful city.
In the series of activities of the Phu Quoc youth to protect the city's environment, at each green collection station, the Phu Quoc City Youth Union (Kien Giang) also implements the golden hour model to exchange plastic waste for gifts. Accordingly, on Saturday mornings of the first week of each month (from 8-9 am), people can bring plastic waste to exchange for gifts. From 3kg of plastic waste and above, such as plastic bottles, straws, foam boxes, nylon bags, etc., which are cleaned and dried, can be exchanged for gift baskets worth from 20,000-100,000 VND.
At the same time, the Youth Union also launches activities to raise awareness among people to enhance environmental protection; cope with climate change; strengthen the responsibility of youth union members, young people, and the community in preserving and protecting the environment; and reduce the use of plastic waste in the city.
In the coming time, the Phu Quoc City Youth Union will continue to maintain and propose solutions to implement the green collection station model. Secretary of the Phu Quoc City Youth Union Nguyen Le Huy said: "The Standing Committee of the Youth Union will continue to collaborate with WWF in Vietnam to organize a review of the implementation of the green collection station model in communes and wards, which evaluates the results, advantages, limitations to continue proposing directions, solutions to implement and replicate the model at several points in the city."
Green collection station in Phu Quoc
Recently, at the Rung Thong Market, Dong Son district, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Youth Union organized the launching ceremony of the model of a community market that minimizes plastic waste in 2023.
At the program, Deputy Secretary of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Youth Union Le Ngoc Anh presented 150 environmentally friendly bags, 100 rolls of biodegradable organic waste bags, 100 reusable plastic bags, distributed leaflets to propagate the criteria for building a community market that limits plastic waste and guide people on how to classify and dispose of waste properly.
Also at the program, people and business households were informed and disseminated about the harmful effects of nylon bags and single-use plastic products on the environment. Moreover, it encourages people to use alternative products such as paper bags, fabric bags, environmentally friendly bags, and biodegradable waste bags; use shopping baskets instead of single-use plastic bags; limit the excessive use of plastic bags when not necessary; and build green environmental protection awareness. Each union member and young person will be a role model in limiting the use of single-use plastic products, implementing waste classification at the source, and proper waste treatment...
Through the program, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Youth Union disseminates to each individual, union member, and young person to raise awareness of limiting plastic waste. In addition, the local authorities strengthen propaganda so that every citizen and every trader limits the use of plastic bags. Youth union members will be active propagandists, conveying the message of "using nylon responsibly and contributing to building Thanh Hoa into a green, clean, beautiful, and modern province./.