The plan to turn plastic waste into an economic source

According to World Bank statistics, Vietnam's amount of plastic waste washed into the sea is still about 0.73 million tons in 2022.

How to treat this plastic waste and turn it into an economic benefit for Vietnam is a big problem when we focus on developing a circular economy.

On March 23, embassies of Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) coordinated with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics to organize the Nordic Day 2023 event with the theme: "Green solutions for circular economy and waste management: Nordic lessons learned and policy proposals for Vietnam".

This is the fifth time the seminar has been held since 2018. Domestic and foreign experts shared experiences and offered some proposed solutions to build a circular economy for Vietnam.

New raw materials for cement

Dr. Kåre Helge Karstensen - a senior expert from the Norwegian Research Institute of Science and Technology (SINTEF) - came up with the idea of using plastic waste as an input material for the cement factory.

Accordingly, specialized cement kilns use high heat sources that can decompose hazardous wastes, including plastic. From there, if it is possible to replace the plant's charcoal materials with plastic, there will be no need to spend more or very little cost for input materials. The accompanying positive effect is to reduce the amount of plastic waste dumped into the ocean through drainage systems.

Helge Karstensen said the cement industry in Norway has replaced more than 75% of coal with different types of waste.

The project "Turning ocean plastic waste into opportunities in the circular economy" (OPTOCE), funded by Norway, is researching how to treat waste in five Asian countries including China, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. These are the countries with the highest plastic consumption in the world, generating about 217,000 tons of plastic waste every day.

The potential to develop this model in Vietnam is huge with about 86 kilns in 57 cement factories. Vietnam is also the world's fourth-largest cement producer, up to 108 million tons per year.

The model of using plastic as an input material for a cement factory is being tested in the Mekong Delta. The plastic waste of Lee & Man Paper Recycling Plant is transported to INSEE Hon Chong Cement Factory.

Plastics account for the majority of waste found in riparian and coastal areas, accounting for 94% of total garbage and 71% of weight. Currently, plastic waste is generally regulated in the group capable of reuse and recycling, but there are no mechanisms and policies to manage and collect.

Talking to Tuoi Tre, Dr. Karstensen said that Vietnam needs to act quickly to achieve national goals.

"Vietnam needs to mobilize more resources, needs to use resources more efficiently because currently the population has reached 100 million people. This will be pressure on food, water, energy, especially green energy," he said.

Lots of experience from Northern Europe

At the seminar, many experts also shared other innovative recycling ideas and models.

Mr. Jan Agri, consultant of the Swedish Strategic Innovation Program (RE:Source), shared the possibility of recycling batteries and food into clean energy sources.

Mr. Tim Forslund, expert of the Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra), talked about the Finnish model of "The life cycle continues in a new loop". The model emphasizes improving product quality, limiting single-use parts, prolonging maintenance services, and using raw materials wisely.

Meanwhile, Ms. Helle Lis Soholt - CEO of Gehl Architects from Denmark - said that it is necessary to have a methodical urban planning, calculate the location of new buildings and the ability to reuse these works.

Halebioplastics suggests the use of conventional plastic replacement products with eco friendly plastics such as bio coffee plastics, bio starch.

“Bioplastic are raw materials created from the combination of natural ingredients such as coffee bean, starch, coconut fiber, etc., and PP/PE, therefore capable of decomposing into water, CO₂ and biomass, not polluting the environment, safe for human health.”