"Zero Waste Fields" in Kim Thanh

Clean fields, clean fields

Plastic waste, packaging, pesticide bottles, etc. are all collected instead of being thrown away haphazardly in canals and fields. This is a common sight in many fields in Dong Cam commune. Previously, some fields in this commune were flooded with pesticide packaging, but now they seem to have been revived thanks to the "Zero Waste Field" model.

Dong Cam Commune is one of the major vegetable growing areas of Kim Thanh District. Each crop season, a large amount of bottles and pesticide packaging is released into the environment. There is no place to collect and gather waste, so farmers often litter the fields. Every month, members of the waste collection team of the Agricultural Service Cooperative have to go to each field bank and wade through each ditch to collect waste, but they can only collect a part of it. In September 2023, the "Waste-free Field" model was built in the two villages of Quang Binh and Minh Tien with 33 pesticide packaging collection tanks. This year, the locality strives to build the "Waste-free Field" model in the remaining 4 villages.

Along the concrete roads in Kim Tan commune, there are no longer any packaging and bottles of pesticides thrown around like before. Mr. Dong Van Thao, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Kim Tan commune, said that the "Zero-waste fields" model has been built in 3 out of 4 villages with nearly ¾ of the commune's agricultural land area. In addition to collecting waste periodically, members also propagate and mobilize people in the commune to collect bottles and packaging and dispose of them in the right places; survey the roads in the fields to place appropriate containers for pesticide packaging. To date, the commune has installed 26 trash bins in convenient locations so that people can throw their trash in after spraying pesticides. "Since the model was built, farmers have become more aware of environmental protection. Canals and fields are almost free of bottles, pesticide containers, and all kinds of plastic waste. When the concrete sewers are full, they will be transported to the landfill for disposal.

The model "Field without plastic waste, packaging, and pesticide bottles" has been piloted by the Kim Thanh District Farmers' Association since 2022 in Kim Xuyen and Binh Dan communes. This is also a breakthrough task of the association in 2023. To date, the district has built 15 models in 13 out of 18 communes and towns of the district. Thanks to these models, about 80 - 90% of plastic waste and pesticide bottles in the fields are collected, helping to reduce environmental pollution. The district strives to have 100% of communes successfully build the "Field without waste" model by 2025. Kim Thanh is one of the leading localities in Hai Duong in the movement to build the "Field without waste" model.

Changing Perception

More and more zero-waste fields are being built in Kim Thanh. This proves that people's awareness is improving. More than half a year after the model was built, Ms. Nguyen Thi Luy in Minh Tien village, Dong Cam commune has become accustomed to putting pesticide bottles into the tank. Ms. Nguyen Thi Luy shared: "My family has 3 sao of growing crops, so each crop has a relatively large amount of pesticide packaging. Before there was a garbage collection tank, I often put the pesticide shells in plastic bags and left them at the top of the field. But since the tank was built, we all throw the pesticide shells into the tank. The canals and fields are much cleaner than before."

Identifying the environment as one of the important criteria to improve the quality of rural life, the Farmers' Association of Co Dung commune has implemented the model of "Field without waste" in all 3 villages with a total area of ​​over 90 hectares. In less than 1 year of implementation, people's awareness has been significantly improved. Packaging and medicine bottles are collected, classified and brought to a centralized treatment site.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Dieu, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Co Dung Commune, said that when the model was first implemented, many people did not follow the regulations, spraying pesticides and then throwing away the bags and bottles right at their feet. However, the association and branch officials persevered in implementing the model while mobilizing farmers. The rain soaked in slowly, and households began to collect waste well. Currently, there are trash bins at each end of the field, and people have been conscious of putting the packaging in the bins. After each crop, the pesticide containers will be collected and treated according to the process for toxic waste.

To raise people's awareness of environmental protection, in addition to propaganda and training for people, officials of the District and Commune Farmers' Associations regularly inspect and monitor environmental pollution by groups and individuals and request competent authorities to strictly handle violations if they are detected. At the same time, they commend good models and give comments on ineffective models.

Mr. Pham Van Toan, Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Kim Thanh district affirmed: "The Zero Waste Field model has contributed to raising awareness and changing people's behavior in environmental protection, while guiding farmers to develop production associated with sustainable environmental protection, and agricultural products ensuring food hygiene and safety".