The programme has raised the awareness for sorting and collecting beverage cartons of over 60,000 students and teachers, and 250,000 residents in Tiên Du District, Bắc Ninh Province in the past four years. — Photo courtesy of Tetra Pak
Over 56 tonnes of used beverage cartons, equivalent to 5.6 million milk cartons, have been collected through a beverage carton collection programme in schools in Tiên Du District, Bắc Ninh Province over the past four years.
The project results were discussed at a workshop to review the beverage carton collection model in schools in Bắc Ninh on April 24.
The programme was jointly implemented by Tetra Pak, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Training of Tiên Du District of Bắc Ninh Province and Lagom Vietnam Joint Stock Company.
Since May 2020, the programme has had participation from 19 schools in Tiên Du District and 15 schools in the surrounding areas of Hưng Yên Province and Hà Nội.
It aimed to raise the awareness and habit of sorting and collecting beverage cartons of over 60,000 students and teachers, and 250,000 residents, thereby contributing to realising the goal of building a culture of sorting cartons in the community as well as supporting food and beverage manufacturers in fulfilling their commitments to collecting packaging after use according to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.
“The collection and recycling programme in Tiên Du District holds significant importance as it marks the first expansion of the school recycling programme to a provincial area, rather than major cities like Hà Nội and HCM City. This helped us establish a beverage carton collection in the district as a cornerstone for expansion throughout Bắc Ninh Province. This initiative aims to address waste management actions for authorities and support manufacturers in fulfilling their Extended Producer Responsibilities (EPR)," said Lương Thanh Thư, Sustainability Manager, Tetra Pak. “The programme enables us to move forward to our ultimate goal of building a low-carbon, circular economy in Việt Nam.”
Trần Thị Hoa, Deputy Head of the Education and Training Department of Tiên Du District, said: "Reducing carbon emissions is a collaborative effort that requires participation from various stakeholders, including citizens and businesses involved in the supply chain. Therefore, we highly appreciate the collaboration with beverage carton collection at schools by Tetra Pak and Lagom, as well as the results that the programme has achieved. I hope that these results will serve as motivation and a model for manufacturers in the area to learn from, aiming to build a sustainable circular economy and reduce environmental impact."
Under the goal of promoting a low-carbon, circular economy, Tetra Pak is striving to collaborate with collection partners and entities such as schools, retail supermarkets, and other industry leaders, to continuously expand beverage carton collection and recycling both at schools and within communities.
Recently, Tetra Pak Vietnam has also extended the programme to Bình Dương Province, where the company's manufacturing plant is located, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Tetra Pak Vietnam closely works with stakeholders to expand school recycling to more provinces and cities, thereby contributing to Việt Nam’s sustainability and a low-carbon, circular economy. — VNS