Hanoi hosted the program "The capital's women join hands to classify waste" last weekend in response to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's (MoNRE) “Clean Up the World" campaign in 2024.

The program encouraged women's union members and others to replicate effective models and practices for waste classification and treatment in the context of Hanoi's urgent debris removal following Typhoon Yagi and flooding to prevent epidemics and disease.

Pham Thi My Hoa, Vice President of the Hanoi Women's Union, said that in recent years, Hanoi has been actively organizing environmental movements and developing strategies to adapt to climate change.

The Women's Union presents eco-friendly products to its members. Photo: Baotintuc.vn

Many good models and practices have been built and replicated, such as the model of "Exchange scrap to keep green, raise charity funds", "Turn garbage dumps into flower gardens managed by women", and "Clean fields".

The "Classification and Treatment of Household Waste" model has been implemented in all 18 suburban districts and some in the metropolitan area. The "Civilized Garbage Station" and "Green House" models are being disseminated in residential areas as a method of collecting recyclable solid waste.

In particular, in the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, local authorities sent teams to clean houses and remove fallen trees to facilitate transportation. In response to a call from the Hanoi Committee of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, all women's unions at all levels joined the people in cleaning up the environment and dealing with the aftermath of the storm.

"The Hanoi Women's Union calls on agencies, units, enterprises, women union members, and people in the capital to join hands in cleaning sewers, ditches, and canals, collecting garbage, spraying disinfectants to prevent and fight epidemics, and restoring a green Hanoi," Hoa stressed.

Delegates plant trees at Chu Van An Park in Hanoi's Thanh Tri district. Photo: VGP

According to MoNRE, the "Clean up the World" campaign was initiated by Australia and has been organized globally by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since 1993. This global event is held annually in the third week of September and involves hundreds of millions of people in 180 countries, including Vietnam. The campaign aims to raise environmental awareness and inspire action.

In response to the campaign since 1994, Vietnam has always focused on disseminating guidelines and policies related to environmental protection and natural resources, while calling on individuals, groups, and communities to join hands to take practical actions such as tree planting, anti-plastic waste drives, environmental clean-up, and pollution control efforts, to reduce the burden on nature and the environment, and to adapt to climate change, in order to promote the circular economy and sustainable development.

At the launch of this year's campaign, Vu Minh Ly, Deputy Director of the Center for Communication on Natural Resources and Environment of MoNRE, emphasized the importance of joint action for sustainable development.

The ceremony was followed by environmental clean-up and tree-planting activities at Chu Van An Park in Thanh Tri District, and a bicycle rally to promote green practices. 

Many people and youth union members join a bicycle parade to promote the campaign. Photo: VGP