MWRP Vietnam: Reducing Mismanaged Plastic Waste By Organizing Independent Waste collectors

Independent waste collectors are entrepreneurs who play a key role in addressing limitations of the government-run solid waste management system in Ho Chi Minh City (population: about 13 million); they collect recyclables from narrowly built, otherwise inaccessible neighborhoods and minimize the volume of recyclable waste going to landfills.

Independent waste collectors (IWC) are entrepreneurs who play a key role in addressing limitations of the government-run solid waste management (SWM) system in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) – home to ~13 million people. The IWCs collect recyclable materials from narrowly built, otherwise inaccessible neighborhoods to minimize the volume of recyclable waste going to landfills. These activities are critical to reducing the overall cost of waste collection for municipal governments, yet IWCs have minimal access to protective gear and services, such as health care.

BUILDING STRONGER INDEPENDENT WASTE COLLECTOR COOPERATIVES

USAID’s Municipal Waste Recycling Program strengthens SWM by supporting IWC cooperatives with skills training and the development of inter-cooperative networks for more effective government advocacy, under a project grant with Environnement et Développement du Tiers-Monde (ENDA). Cooperatives serve a majority of waste collectors and are recognized by local government authorities as legitimate counterparts, making cooperatives a key platform for facilitating efforts to gain more secure livelihoods.