Circular economy is raising interest all over the world. In a bio-based circular economy, material and nutrient flows form loops. The article presents selected Vietnamese good practices in bio-based circular economy.

Authors: Vie Huynh and Susanna Vanhamäki

A brief overview of bio-based circular economy

Limited natural resources and climate change are driving us towards new economic and ecological solutions. Circular economy offers one answer to these challenges. In the current linear economy, natural resources are transformed into products and then dumped into the environment after being used. In a circular economy, however, material flows form loops: material is recycled for other purposes after usage. (EMF 2013)

The circular economy consists of biological and technical flows (EMF 2017). The bio-based circular economy concentrates on material in biological cycles, i.e. the circular use of bio-based resources e.g. bio-waste, wood products, wastewater sludge and agricultural residues.

Recently, circular economy has been adopted in international and national policies, showing that these nations are moving from rhetoric to action. In 2015, the European Commission (2015) released the Circular Economy Package, an action plan concerning the EU’s transition towards a Circular Economy. In addition, China and France have laws concerning circular economy (Balkau 2017). Nevertheless, in addition to strategies on national level, concrete actions are also necessary. In fact, in quite many cases, this is where the development begins.

The country discussed in this article, Vietnam, is at a stage where circular economy is not yet in strategic focus. However, local circular economy actions are still emerging.

Current state of the Vietnamese bio-based circular economy

During the 20^th century, the concept of closing the nutrient loops was implemented to some extent in Vietnam. In the agricultural sector, waste from one activity was used as input for another activity. However, due to rapid economic development, the use of chemicals has rapidly replaced the more sustainable but less profitable nutrient-loop model. This came with a heavy price to the environment. (Renewable matter 2017)

Currently, approximately 28 million tons of waste is annually released into the Vietnam environment, 46% of which comes from municipal sources (Schneider et al. 2017). It is interesting to note that 60-70% of the municipal solid wastes is bio-waste, which can be biologically recycled, e.g. turned into compost and/or biogas (Tran et al. 2014). However, the majority of solid waste in Vietnam is either burned or landfilled. For example, 76% of household waste in Vietnam’s biggest city – Ho Chi Minh City – is buried in landfill sites (Báo Mới 2017). This gap between potential and reality of recycling can be seen as potential in the development of a bio-based circular economy in Vietnam.

According to Báo Mới (2017), there has already been a project to categorize household wastes at source in six districts of Ho Chi Minh City, reaching 20-30% categorization rate. Nonetheless, the impact of this project is questionable, as there is insufficient processing technology and infrastructure in the city. The categorized wastes are just grouped back together after being transported to existing waste facilities. Should this project be applied more successfully on a larger scale, a significant amount of waste would be turned into useful materials (Tran et al. 2014).

The recycling industry in Vietnam is undeveloped and very fragmented. In this industry, there is an interesting line of work where people roam around landfill sites to collect recyclable materials and sell back to recycler for a living. This job is called “ve chai” in Vietnamese. However, this way of recycling is extremely inefficient, and “ve chai” collectors barely make a living. (Vietnam Online 2015)

Notable good practices in Vietnam

Biogas in Huế

From 2011 to 2014, BAJ – a Japanese non-profit organization – funded to install 37 biogas digesters in rural areas of Hue city (Bridge Asia Japan 2011; Bridge Asia japan 2014). Those digesters turn livestock manure into biogas, which was initially used for cooking and in-home lighting. These biogas systems have saved approximately 250 USD per month in cooking/lighting costs for each participating family. This amount is significant as Vietnamese GDP per capita is only around 2200 USD/year. The digesters have also led to the development of a street-lighting system utilizing excess biogas produced at night. Excess gas would have been wastefully released otherwise. These systems have made the previously unlit streets much safer for local people. (Khoahoc.tv 2013; Thuy Xuan ward’s People’s Committee 2014).

Bio-fertilizer in Đà Nẵng

A Japan International Co-operation Agency has provided 500,000 USD of funding to setup a biomass liquid fertilizer factory in Đà Nẵng city. This factory applies the organic waste circulation system developed in Chikujo (Japan) to turn municipal wastes into liquid fertilizer for agriculture activities. By 2016, initial testing facilities capable of processing 3.5 tons of waste a day have been operational. This new fertilizer reportedly helps crops to grow healthier. Excess use of the fertilizer does not result in chemical residuals in plants and land like other current chemical fertilizers. Furthermore, the price is roughly 10% that of their chemical counterparts, which greatly helps farmers, since they previously spent 10-20% of their revenue on fertilizers. (Vietnam News 2015)

Solid waste recycling in Đà Nẵng

In 2015, Đà Nẵng’s department of natural resources and environment, together with Vietnam Environment Corporation, introduced the first phase of the Khánh Sơn solid waste processing composite. The investment totals 40 million USD, resulting in a composite that can categorize and process 200 tons of household solid wastes a day. Wastes are turned into oil (industrial fuel), bio-char (soil-fertility supplement), and bricks (building materials). The facilities have achieved up to 0% solid landfill waste ratio. Its introduction has greatly reduced the burden on Khánh Sơn landfill site, which is imminently overloaded and is scheduled to close in 2020. (Tuổi Trẻ Online 2015)

Conclusions

The development of a circular economy in Vietnam is still in its infancy, both in terms of awareness, technology and infrastructure. There are few policies and investments backing this concept. The majority of financial and technological support comes from international environmental organization in the region, especially from Japan. There is, however, great potential in the management of municipal solid wastes. The majority of those wastes can be biologically recycled into valuable materials. Last but not least, although sporadic and limited in scope, there are a number of bio-based circular activities that hint at a promising future for Vietnam.

 References

Balkau, F. 2017. Circular economy and regional implications. In: Massari, S., Sonnemann, G. & Balkau, F. (eds) Life cycle approaches to sustainable regional development. New York, USA: Routledge. 179-185.

Báo Mới. 2017. TPHCM: Mỗi ngày thải ra 8.300 tấn rác, chủ yếu là chôn lấp. [Electronic newspaper]. [Cited 17 Nov 2017]. Available at: https://baomoi.com/tphcm-moi-ngay-thai-ra-8-300-tan-rac-chu-yeu-la-chon-lap/c/22506862.epi

Bridge Asia Japan. 2011. 2011 Annual Report. [Online document]. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: http://www.baj-npo.org/english/downloads/BAJ_2011_Annual_Report.pdf

Bridge Asia Japan. 2014. 2014 Annual Report. [Online document]. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: http://www.baj-npo.org/english/downloads/2014%20Annual%20Report.pdf

EMF. 2013. Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Towards the Circular Economy. [Online publication]. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/Ellen-MacArthur-Foundation-Towards-the-Circular-Economy-vol.1.pdf

EMF. 2017. Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Circular Economy System Diagram. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/interactive-diagram

European Commission. 2015. Closing the loop – an EU action plan for the circular economy. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52015DC0614

Khoahoc.tv. 2013. Rác thải thành điện thắp sáng nông thôn (Waste to be turned into lighting for the countryside). [Electronic newspaper]. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: http://khoahoc.tv/rac-thai-thanh-dien-thap-sang-nong-thon-45882

Renewable matter. 2017. Vietnam Opens Up to the Circular Economy. [Electronic magazine].  [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at:
http://www.renewablematter.eu/art/295/Vietnam_Opens_Up_to_the_Circular_Economy

Schneider, P., Le, H. A., Wagner, J., Reichenbach, J. & Hebner, A. 2017. Solid Waste Management in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Moving towards a Circular Economy? Sustainability. [Electronic journal]. Vol 9 (2), 286. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su9020286

Thuy Xuan ward’s People’s Committee. 2014. Lợi đủ điều từ hầm biogas (Benefits from Biogas pit). [Electronic newspaper]. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: https://thuyxuan.thuathienhue.gov.vn/?gd=3&cn=136&id=146&tm=10

Tran, T. M. D., Le, M. T. & Nguyen, T. V. 2014. Composition and Generation Rate of Household Solid Waste: Reuse and Recycling Ability – A Case Study in District 1, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. International Journal of Environmental Protection. [Electronic journal]. Vol 4 (6), 73-81. [Cited 14 Nov 2017]. Available at: www.academicpub.org/DownLoadPaper.aspx?paperid=15970

Tuổi Trẻ Online. 2015. Đà Nẵng có công nghệ xử lý chất thải rắn thành dầu, than (Da Nang now has the technology to process solid waste into oil and charcoal). [Electronic newspaper]. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: https://tuoitre.vn/da-nang-co-cong-nghe-xu-ly-chat-thai-ran-thanh-dau-than-767847.htm

Vietnam News. 2015. Da nang leads the way with organic fertilizers. [Electronic newspaper]. [Cited 15 Nov 2017]. Available at: http://vietnamnews.vn/society/270616/da-nang-leads-the-way-with-organic-fertilisers.html#7WrwClbmQyxGXeJm.97

Vietnam Online. 2015. Garbage and Recycling. [Cited 14 Nov 2017]. Available at: https://www.vietnamonline.com/living/garbage-and-recycling.html

 Authors

Vie Huynh is a 2^nd year student in International Business at Lahti University of Applied Sciences.

Susanna Vanhamäki is the Project Manager for BIOREGIO project at Lahti University of Applied Sciences.

Published 11.12.2017

Illustration: https://pixabay.com/en/country-nature-rice-river-vietnam-2178853/ (CC0)

Reference to this publication

Huynh, V. & Vanhamäki, S. 2017. Good practices in bio-based circular economy in Vietnam. LAMK Pro. [Electronic magazine]. [Cited and date of citation]. Available at: http://www.lamkpub.fi/2017/12/11/good-practices-in-bio-based-circular-economy-in-vietnam/

The city of Rustenburg is drafting a road map towards circular economy as a part of cooperation project Co-creating Sustainable Cities with Lahti (Finland) and Ho (Ghana). The road map is drafted with the help of baseline studies, stakeholder discussions and a series of three co-creation workshops in Rustenburg.

Author: Maarit Virtanen

The main objective in Rustenburg is the diversification of economy and creation of jobs through circular economy. Circular economy solutions would also support environmental protection and waste management aims. At the moment, the economy of region is based on mining. During the first two co-creation workshops, four main areas of interest have been identified:  1. Value creation through material recycling; 2. Composting of biodegradable waste; 3. Development of repair and reuse services; 4. Education and awareness raising.

Value creation through technical material recycling

In Rustenburg, the waste collection system covers most of the city area, except for rapidly spreading informal settlements. There is no official recycling of waste, but waste pickers circle the streets and landfill collecting and selling materials. The aim in Rustenburg is to formalise waste recycling, to introduce waste separation at source to households and businesses, and eventually to process some of materials in the area. There are altogether 13 buy back centres for materials in Rustenburg, but the processing is done in Pretoria, Johannesburg or other locations.

Figure 1. Waste pickers taking materials to a buy back centre

Waste separation at source will enhance the material recovery from waste and ease material processing, as organic waste is separated from other materials. It will also provide better income and working conditions for waste pickers and recyclers. Separation at source can be introduced through pilots at selected businesses and communities. The pilots help to specify, which materials should be sorted at source and which can be sorted at the collection or transfer sites. There are already markets for different types of plastics and papers, cardboard, glass and metals.

To ensure effective collection of recyclable materials, sites for sorting and storing of materials should be established. Currently, transportation is a challenge for recyclers working in townships outside the city centre, and there are problems with littering, when recyclers sort the waste on streets.  In the designated sites, recyclers could do the final sorting of materials, after which materials were transported in larger quantities to the existing buy back centres in Rustenburg. Once the process of collection, sorting and sales is functioning, the income from sales can be invested in, for instance, bailers, shredders and transport trucks. Further investment can be sought for a conveyor belt to ease the sorting.

The recycling process can be further developed by establishing municipal buy back centres, if this is seen as an economically viable option instead of selling materials through existing centres. Once the availability of recyclable materials is ensured, processing of some materials can be developed. These can include, for example, manufacturing of pellets from PET bottles, or manual handling of WEEE to separate most valuable components for sale.

Composting of biodegradable waste

The composting of biodegradable waste, including garden waste, kitchen waste and organic waste from businesses will help to divert waste from the landfills and makes the separation of recyclable materials from waste easier and more profitable.

The composting can also be begun with a pilot on, for example, restaurants and selected residential areas. The pilot can be done with open air composting, but it should also be studied, whether, for instance, drum composting could be used to improve the efficiency. After the composting systems is functioning, the ready compost can be sold for agriculture or be utilised by the municipality.

If the collection of biodegradable waste proves successful, and the amounts of organic material are adequate, production of biogas can be a viable option. One pilot scale biogas plant is in operation in Rustenburg, with positive experiences on both gas production and utilisation of compost for gardening. However, as biogas production requires investments, it must be ensured that there is a reliable feedstock for the production.

Development of repair and reuse services

One of key elements in circular economy is to lengthen product lifetime through reuse, remanufacturing and repairing. There is a large number of small-scale repair services in Rustenburg for various products scattered around the town. Industrial estates are developed in Rustenburg for different townships, and these could also act as centralised areas for repair services.

Concentrating services in certain areas could promote the accessibility of services through joint marketing and the entrepreneurs could develop the services together through, for example, join investment on machinery. In addition, proper waste management and recycling would be easier to provide, if the activities were located in certain areas.

Figure 2. Services available at an informal settlement

Education and awareness raising

An important part of circular economy is integrating it into education at different levels to enable broader change in, for example, product design, consumption patterns and business models.

The existing environmental awareness raising programs with schools and other stakeholders can be used and further developed to promote circular economy thinking. In Rustenburg, this can in the long run include also establishing college or university degree programs on circular economy.

Next Steps

The next steps in cooperation are specifying the activities and funding opportunities for circular economy pilots. Work is already well under way in Rustenburg in both formalisation of waste picking and piloting the separation at source. There is also interest for cooperation with Finnish companies, and the aim is to invite some of them to the next co-creation workshop in Rustenburg in March 2018. The Circular Economy Road Map will be integrated into municipal plans to promote the implementation of activities.

The road map and cooperation in Rustenburg is a part of Co-creating Sustainable Cities project funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Lahti University of Applied Sciences implements the project together with the City of Lahti in 2017-2018. (Lahti University of Applied Sciences 2017.)

References

Lahti University of Applied Sciences. 2017. Co-creating Sustainable Cities Project. [Cited 4 Dec 2017]. Available at: http://www.lamk.fi/english/projects/co-creating-sustainable-cities

About the author

Maarit Virtanen is the Project Manager for Co-creating Sustainable Cities and Kiertoliike projects at Lahti University of Applied Sciences.

All pictures by the author.

Published 8.12.2017

Reference to this publication

Virtanen, M. 2017. Co-creating Rustenburg Circular Economy Road Map in South Africa. LAMK Pro. [Electronic magazine]. [Cited and date of citation]. Available at:
http://www.lamkpub.fi/2017/12/08/co-creating-rustenburg-circular-economy-road-map-in-south-africa/

An aim of cooperation between Ho (Ghana), Rustenburg (South Africa) and Lahti (Finland) is identifying circular economy opportunities and pilot projects. The co-creation process includes baseline studies, stakeholder discussions and workshops.  The article presents two identified waste pilot projects in Ho.

Author: Maarit Virtanen

Introduction

In Ho, the lack of waste management services is visible and there is no organised recycling of materials except for metals and small amounts of plastics. However, for example, organic waste is widely used for animal fodder. There is also reuse for items like empty plastic bottles, containers and cardboard boxes. Furthermore, various reuse, renting and repair services are available around the town. Even the public transportation is based on an efficient taxi system with cheap prizes, joint rides and constant availability of service.

 Ho Market Place Waste Recycling

The new Ho Market Place is expected to open in 2017. The Market Place hosts around 2000 sellers on market days, which take place every fifth day. The market place is used daily and has been identified as a suitable place to pilot waste sorting and recycling. The new main market building has space for 390 sellers, and there are also several other new stalls in the area. Almost everything is sold in the market; garden and agricultural products, a lot of yam and charcoal, fish, groceries, textiles, clothes, plastics, pesticides, canned food etc.

Figure 1. Ho Market Place

The largest waste fractions generated at the Market Place are plastics, cardboard, paper, organic waste and charcoal waste. Almost all waste fractions generated have some kind of monetary value, although currently only metals, plastics, paper and cardboard have a possible buyer in Ho. Materials are transported to Accra for processing.

For the piloting of recycling, it was decided to focus on the biggest waste streams that already have a market, and to organic waste. A composting facility is needed for organic waste recycling.  The stakeholders involved in the value chain include waste producers, waste management companies, private companies buying and processing recyclables, the Ho Municipal Assembly, Market and Traders Associations, research institutes, farmers and other possible users for the compost, and local NGOs.

The separation of recyclable waste at market place can be done by waste pickers or buy sellers. Since waste separation is a totally new concept for the sellers, and they change, education can be challenging. The best solution could be to have separate waste bins for organic waste and other recyclables, and also have trained waste pickers circulating the area and collecting materials. At the moment, collecting recyclable waste is not seen a worthwhile job, so awareness raising is also needed on the value of materials.

Before starting the pilot, the amounts and availability of waste must be studied. There is already local utilisation for, for example, some of the organic waste and a token fee can be expected for it. What is also needed for the pilot is intensive training for waste pickers and market sellers, and equipment for waste collection. In addition, municipal waste regulations should be formulated to support waste sorting and recycling. A separate plan is needed for the small-scale composting facility.

Figure 2. Waste ends up in streams and rivers in Ho

Waste Recycling Pilot at Ho Technical University

Ho Technical University (HTU) has about 5 000 students and a campus area with several departments, offices, restaurants and student hostels. HTU has proposed a waste recycling pilot in the campus. The largest waste fractions produced at HTU include paper, cardboard, plastics and organic waste. There is also some metal and cans. In addition, small amounts of e-waste, glass, leather waste, and used clothes are produced. The waste is generated by students, staff, vendors, restaurants, workshops and hospitalities. Organic waste includes garden waste.

Similar to the market place, the easiest waste fractions to start with are those with existing markets, like cardboard, paper and plastics. Considerable amounts of paper are stored at campus, so the first step in the pilot is to organise their recycling. The collection of organic waste requires a composting facility, which should be a common one for campus and organic waste from the market. The university has a Department of Agriculture that has a farm and could participate in composting and relater research.

Since waste recycling is new in Ho, HTU campus would provide a good piloting opportunity for also testing different communication and education methods with students involved in the whole process. In addition to material recycling, different upcycling and reuse opportunities can be explored together with students.

Next Steps

The circular economy concept has been recognised with enthusiasm in Ho, and a wide range of stakeholders has been involved in the two workshops organised. The next aim is to co-create concrete pilots to test the concepts. Cooperation with Ho is a part of Co-creating Sustainable Cities project funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, and coordinated by Lahti University of Applied Sciences.

Author

Maarit Virtanen is the Project Manager for Co-creating Sustainable Cities and Kiertoliike projects at Lahti University of Applied Sciences.

All photos by Maarit Virtanen.

Published 28.11.2017

Reference to this publication

Virtanen, M. 2017. Circular Economy Co-creation in Ho, Ghana. LAMK Pro. [Electronic magazine]. [Cited and date of citation]. Available at: http://www.lamkpub.fi/2017/11/28/circular-economy-co-creation-in-ho-ghana/