In Vietnam, the recycling of waste materials is a significant issue. Vietnam been dealing with challenges such as the strong involvement of “Junk shop” “waste picker”, and the absence of monitoring data.
The majority of the companies in Vietnam’s solid waste management industry are state-owned, while foreign countries or large, partly multinational companies with Vietnamese subsidiaries provide the technology.
The materials that can be recycled include glass, aluminum, plastic water bottles, metal scrap, different kinds of paper, electronics –computers, cellular phones, keyboards, batteries and other small electronic equipment, textile, wood, wire, cables, plastic product, rubber, etc.
Software could potentially be used to manage and optimize the recycling process, track the flow of recyclable materials, and provide data for analysis and decision-making. This could help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of recycling operations.
GRAC can support junk shops and waste picker in Vietnam in several ways:
Inventory Management: Software can help keep track of the types and quantities of materials that are being recycled. This can help junk shops manage their resources more effectively and identify trends in the types of waste they are receiving.
Supply Chain Optimization: Software can help optimize the collection, transportation, and recycling processes. This can reduce costs and increase the efficiency of recycling operations.
Data Analysis: Software can analyze data to provide insights into the recycling process. This can help identify areas for improvement and measure the impact of recycling efforts.
Marketplace: Software can also serve as a marketplace for selling recycled products or raw materials. This can help junk shops and waste picker reach a wider market and increase their revenue.
Education and Awareness: Software can provide educational resources and raise awareness about the importance of recycling. This can help promote recycling practices among the public and increase the supply of recyclable materials.
The informal waste sector: Junk shops, waste pickers and recyclable marterial in vietnam
In Vietnam, there is a growing initiative to support vulnerable informal waste workers embedded within global business value chains. An estimated 10,000 people – largely poor, uneducated female migrants from rural areas – work as informal waste pickers in Hanoi city. With little-to-no personal protective equipment like gloves and boots, they work in perilous conditions, exposed to potentially hazardous materials, toxic fumes and toxic liquid from mixed waste.
Junk shop ownership is a key pathway to economic empowerment for women: a female junk shop owner can typically sell plastic recyclables at a price that is 50 percent higher than what female waste collectors and street sweepers can get for selling similar plastic recyclables.
However, the recycling system in Vietnam is simple with the rudimentary facility, in which informal sectors play important roles. Thus, the recycling effectiveness was low (24%), mainly papers, plastics, and metals.
Informal waste workers in Vietnam face several challenges:
Health Risks: With little-to-no personal protective equipment like gloves and boots, they work in perilous conditions, exposed to potentially hazardous materials, toxic fumes, and toxic liquid from mixed waste.
Low Income: The income of informal waste workers is often low and unstable. They rely on the sale of high-value waste to junk shops, collection, and recycling companies for cash to support their families.
Lack of Recognition: Informal waste workers play a crucial role in managing waste and recycling materials. However, their work is often unrecognized and undervalued.
Lack of Access to Waste: Informal waste workers often have difficulty accessing waste because it is collected by formal waste management systems or because they are excluded from certain areas.
Lack of Training and Education: Many informal waste workers are poor, uneducated female migrants from rural areas. They often lack the training and education needed to improve their work conditions and income.
Gender Inequality: Female junk shop owners can typically sell plastic recyclables at a price that is 50 percent higher than what female waste collectors and street sweepers can get for selling similar plastic recyclables. This indicates a gender inequality in the sector.
These challenges highlight the need for interventions to improve the working conditions, income, and recognition of informal waste workers in Vietnam.
Several interventions have been proposed to support informal waste workers in Vietnam:
Recognition and Inclusion: Recognize the roles, and include the voices, of informal waste workers in upcoming waste management policies.
Supporting Ecosystem: Improve the working conditions of the collectors to accelerate efficiency. Informal Waste Workers (IWWs) need financial facilities, adequate working space, access to professional equipment supplies, support to register or to join legal entities, and access to social benefits.
Coordinated Approach: The integration of IWWs in the waste management system is a complex and multi-faceted process requiring a coordinated approach. It necessitates the involvement of the public sector at the national and the local levels in linking with the IWW and ensuring their inclusion, the private sector to facilitate their access to waste, the academic community to generate and disseminate specific knowledge, and the engagement of NGO/CSOs/development partners in delivering capacity building, advocacy messages, and supporting (re)structuration.
Personal Protective Equipment: As they return to work, women waste workers will be provided with a package of essential personal protective equipment composed of masks, gloves, soaps, protective clothes, and shoes.
Support Local NGOs: Support local NGOs and other institutions working toward the economic empowerment of women and eliminating the stigma and discrimination of informal women workers.
Supporting informal waste workers in Vietnam can have several benefits:
Environmental Impact: Informal waste workers play a crucial role in managing waste and recycling materials, thereby reducing the amount of waste that ends up in the environment.
Economic Impact: By recognizing and supporting the work of informal waste workers, we can help them gain job stability and potentially increase their income.
Social Impact: Recognition of the work of informal waste workers can help reduce social stigma and improve their social status.
Health and Safety: Providing informal waste workers with personal protective equipment and safe working conditions can help reduce health risks associated with waste handling.
Policy Impact: Including the voices of informal waste workers in waste management policies can lead to more inclusive and effective policies.
Circular Economy: Informal waste workers can contribute to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system and more broadly, to the transition toward a circular economy.
GRAC, a software solution in Vietnam, can potentially help address the challenges faced by informal waste workers in several ways:
Waste Classification: GRAC supports waste classification into three categories, which can help waste workers sort and manage waste more efficiently.
Cashless Payments: The software facilitates cashless payments for waste collection, which can provide a safer and more convenient way for waste workers to receive payment for their services.
Collection Schedule Tracking: GRAC helps track waste collection schedules, which can improve the efficiency of waste collection and ensure that waste workers are able to collect waste regularly.
Connection between Stakeholders: The software connects waste generation units with waste collection units and scrap collectors, which can help waste workers gain better access to waste and increase their income.
Support for Government Agencies: GRAC also supports government agencies in waste management, which can lead to better policies and regulations that recognize and support the work of informal waste workers.
Implementing a software solution like GRAC for informal waste workers in Vietnam could face several challenges:
Digital Literacy: Many informal waste workers may lack the necessary digital skills to use a software solution effectively.
Access to Technology: Not all waste workers may have access to the necessary technology (like smartphones or computers) to use the software.
Language Barrier: If the software is not available in the local language, it could pose a challenge for non-English speaking waste workers.
Resistance to Change: There might be resistance to change existing practices and adopt a new system.
Legal and Regulatory Issues: There could be legal and regulatory issues related to the formalization of informal waste workers.
Privacy Concerns: There could be concerns about data privacy and security.
Socio-Economic Factors: Informal waste workers often face social stigma and marginalization. They are also vulnerable to exploitation and harassment. These factors could affect their willingness and ability to use a software solution.
Time Constraints: Many informal workers are poor and must work long hours – sometimes in multiple jobs – to survive, leaving them little time for learning and using new systems.
These challenges highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to implementing software solutions for informal waste workers, which includes capacity building, access to technology, and supportive legal and policy frameworks.
There are several success stories of implementing software solutions for informal waste workers in other countries:
Pune, India: In Pune, India, waste pickers have been organized in a trade union since the 1990s. The city also helped informal waste workers form cooperatives so that they could be contracted by the city, which has led to a better functioning waste management system.
GlobalRec: The Global Alliance of Waste Pickers is a networking process supported by WIEGO, among thousands of waste picker organizations with groups in more than 28 countries covering mainly Latin America, Asia, and Africa. They have developed an app that waste pickers can use to report when their rights are violated.
CoopCycle: In France, CoopCycle, a federation of bike delivery cooperatives, has developed an open-source software tool that allows couriers to manage their own delivery service.
Applying the success stories of implementing software solutions for informal waste workers to Vietnam could involve several steps:
Organizing Waste Workers: Similar to the approach in Pune, India, Vietnam could consider organizing waste workers into trade unions or cooperatives. This could provide them with a platform to voice their concerns and negotiate better working conditions.
Developing Localized Software Solutions: Software solutions should be tailored to the local context. This could involve translating the software into the local language, incorporating features that are relevant to the local waste management practices, and ensuring that the software is accessible on the devices commonly used by waste workers.
Training and Capacity Building: Waste workers should be provided with the necessary training to use the software effectively. This could involve digital literacy training and ongoing technical support.
Government Support: The government could play a crucial role in supporting the formalization of informal waste workers. This could involve developing supportive policies and regulations, providing financial incentives, and contracting waste workers for city waste management services.
Partnerships: Partnerships with NGOs, private sector companies, and international organizations could provide additional resources and expertise. For example, the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers and CoopCycle could share their experiences and provide technical assistance.
Pilot Projects: Before implementing the software on a large scale, pilot projects could be conducted to test the software and make necessary adjustments based on feedback from waste workers.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Once the software is implemented, ongoing monitoring and evaluation can help identify any issues or challenges and assess the impact of the software on the livelihoods of waste workers.
The use of a software solution like GRAC can have several benefits for formal waste management systems:
Efficiency: GRAC supports waste classification into three categories, which can help waste management systems sort and manage waste more efficiently.
Financial Transactions: The software facilitates cashless payments for waste collection, providing a safer and more convenient way for waste management systems to handle financial transactions.
Scheduling: GRAC helps track waste collection schedules, improving the efficiency of waste collection and ensuring regularity.
Connectivity: The software connects waste generation units with waste collection units and scrap collectors, improving the flow of waste materials through the system.
Support for Government Agencies: GRAC also supports government agencies in waste management, which can lead to better policies and regulations that recognize and support the work of waste workers.
Sustainability: By improving the efficiency and effectiveness of waste management, GRAC can contribute to sustainability goals.
These benefits highlight the potential of software solutions like GRAC to improve waste management systems and support the transition to a circular economy.
