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Hanoi school milk recycling programme

Last updated: May 12, 2022

Summary

To combat the amount of recyclable waste going to landfill, Hanoi City has collaborated with Tetra Pak Vietnam, Lagom Vietnam, and NHC Social Enterprise to launch a programme facilitating the collection, sorting, and recycling of milk cartons in schools around the city.

Problem

As a fast growing city, Hanoi generates up to 6,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, comprising up to 10 percent plastic. The waste is unsegregated, and 95 percent is sent to landfill, while the other 5 percent is incinerated. The city has implemented a ‘school milk’ programme, which has resulted in high volumes of discarded milk cartons, primarily made of paper with some aluminium and plastic components.

Solution

To combat the amount of recyclable waste going to landfill, Hanoi City has collaborated with Tetra Pak Vietnam, Lagom Vietnam, and NHC Social Enterprise to launch a programme facilitating the collection, sorting and recycling of milk cartons in schools around the city.

Outcome

Since its launch, the programme has collected over 100 tonnes of milk cartons, and is projected to reduce waste going to landfill by over 1,000 tonnes—thus decreasing methane emissions by 111 tonnes. The project has been successful in its early stages, and will expand to all school districts of the city in the coming years.