On April 25, the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) cooperated with Nam Dinh Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DoNRE), Giao Huong People's Committee, and other local partners to organise the event to launch the new tool at Thanh Hong village, Giao Huong commune, Giao Thuy district, Nam Dinh province.

This river rubbish capture tool is an initiative under the “Strategic Plastic Litter Abatement in the Red River” project, financially supported and technically advised by US-based NGO Ocean Conservancy.

At the event, Ho Thi Yen Thu, standing deputy director of MCD said that the project aimed to improve the previously developed river rubbish capture tool and replicate it over the Red River and its tributaries in Nam Dinh.

There have been five rubbish trappers installed, launched and operated of which four river rubbish capture tools are located on the Red River in My Tan commune of My Loc district; Dien Xa and Nam Thang communes of Nam Truc district; Xuan Thanh commune of Xuan Truong district, and one placed on the Dao river in Tran Te Xuong ward of Nam Dinh city.

The river rubbish capture tool in Giao Huong commune is the sixth and also the one at the endpoint in the Red River of the current network of pilot rubbish trappers that MCD and experts, authorities, communities and stakeholders jointly implement in Nam Dinh province.

Together with the previous five river rubbish capture tool, the rubbish trapper in Giao Huong commune will contribute to enhancing the collection of debris in the rivers, reducing the debris floating through river to the sea and raising the awareness of the local communities in solid waste and plastic waste management in Nam Dinh.

"The performance of these river rubbish capture tools also provides important data and experience to contribute to the global system of river rubbish capture tools. We believe that this rubbish trapper will be successfully received, managed and operated by the local authorities and people," she said.

The design, manufacture and installation of the river rubbish capture tools was led by MCD and the DoNRE, with the participation of domestic and foreign experts, local officials, local communities and relevant stakeholders.

It has obtained professional appraisal and permission for operation by the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration. The rubbish trappers are located at river shorelines, contributing to strengthening the waste management in riverine and estuary areas in Nam Dinh.

Do Quang Trung, deputy director of the DoNRE commented that, “The management of solid waste and plastic waste in the coastal and riverine areas in Nam Dinh has been significantly enhanced with the operation of the vin the rivers."

"This rubbish trapper in Giao Huong commune, while being located downstream, will continue the success of the upper rubbish trappers and contribute to enriching the network of rubbish trappers on waterways from river to sea in Nam Dinh province. We highly appreciate the effectiveness of this network not only in technical and technological factors, but also in its impact on improvement of the local community awareness and behaviour on waste collection and treatment,” Trung said.