Development of technical guidelines for plastics and resin pellets leakage prevention from factories and informal recycling sector in Hanoi

The assignment “Development of technical guidelines for plastics and resin pel lets leakage prevention from factories and informal recycling sector in Hanoi, Vietnam”, signed between VNCPC and the Regional Resource Center for Asia andthe Pacific (RRC.AP) located at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) – Thailand. This assignment is one component of the Project “Development and dissemination of technical guidelines for plastics and resin pellets leakage prevention from factories and informal recycling sector in the ASEAN” funded by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). The overall objective of the proposed project is to contribute to preventing plastics and resin leakage into the marine by promoting best practices and guidelines appropriate to resin-producing factories and informal recycling facilities in ASEAN countries.

Main activities of the service:

Development of situation assessment report on the status and plastic leakages related to operations of informal recycling actors and the plastic industry;
Development and update of context-specific draft guidelines/manual and best practices for preventing plastics (by informal recyclers) and pellet losses by factories;
Submission of final guidelines/manual in English and in Vietnamese versions; and
Participation in knowledge dissemination and capacity-building workshop.

Activities in 2022:
Reviewed the literature regarding (i) policy and regulatory mechanisms; (ii) institutional framework and stakeholders involved in plastic waste management and plastic recycling; (iii) plastic value chain and material flows for plastic recycling; and (iv) current status of recycling technology and environmental – economic – social impacts of plastic recycling (formal and informal sectors);
Conducted surveys, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with identified keystone recycling enterprises, actors, and industry actors;
Carried out onsite field visits and assessment of process operations of selected recycling factories, junkshops, and plastic industry; and
Developed and completed the situation assessment report on plastic leakage from informal/formal recycling groups and pellet losses from logistical handling of pellets in the plastic industry in Hanoi city.

Next steps:
Develop and update technical guidance relevant to the local context and solutions to prevent plastics and resin pellets leakage from recycling facilities;
Completing and handing over the technical guideline in English and Vietnamese; and
Participation and presentation of findings/draft reports in the training and dissemination workshops.