City-Level Decoupling-Case Studies

lacking about the importance of waste removal before collection. Waste collection in Ho Chi Minh City also faces physical limitations because almost three-quarters of households are located in narrow alleys that are inaccessible to large vehicles. Community groups and co-operatives are now working with the local authorities to fill the gaps in waste collection services as a part of the Vietnamese government’s policy on socialization of environmental protection. Several cities are promoting community programs on waste collection in which community groups, cooperatives, and syndicates of individual collectors are responsible for collection activities. The Hanoi People’s Committee has authorized a socialization program for waste collection since the 1990s. Local community groups now assume responsibility for hiring waste collectors, purchasing collection equipment, collecting fees, and overall management of the collection system. Members of the Vietnam Women’s Union have also played key roles as both managers and collectors. The aim of the socialization programs is to promote community participation in solid waste management. It is hoped that the communities contribute more financially to recover the cost of collection, transportation and treatment of solid waste, and share the responsibility for environmental sanitation work. Community organizations also mobilize the residents to collect and separate their waste and to collect litter in public spaces. Two systems for solid waste collection work alongside each other in Ho Chi Minh City. The ‘formal' system is in charge of street cleansing and collection of waste in markets, offices and public buildings. This system also collects wastes from households located along main roads, which account for about 30% of total households. At the same time, the 'informal' system includes individual waste collectors, their syndicates, and environment sanitation cooperatives. The informal sector collects waste from households located in small alleys, and transports it to intermediary depots where it is collected by waste transport agencies. Syndicates of individual collectors play a critical role in managing the informal system. Such syndicates are social organizations in which individual collectors participate on a voluntary basis. To become a syndicate member, each collector submits an application and pays a monthly fee for use of the depot, general administration, and a fee for cost-recovery that is transferred to the public waste agency. The syndicates actively discuss with the local authority the areas that require additional services, and quickly mobilize members to cover those areas once they gain permission from the authority. The syndicates also handle problems and conflicts that arise in the collection process. Ho Chi Minh City’s 3,000 independent collectors are well suited to collecting waste from the narrow streets where vehicles are unable to drive. By using low-skilled workers instead of expensive machinery to collect waste, this community-based system shows that waste collection can contribute to improving urban liveability and sustainability with fewer resources and less impact on the environment. The benefits of the city’s approach to waste collection can be summarised as follows: • Wide and efficient coverage: The system proves to be effective in removing the daily waste discharged of from households in small alleys and communal buildings. In some districts of Ho Chi Minh City, waste from up to 90% of households is collected by the individual collectors.

82