"Bottleneck"
In the first days of October, the lives of thousands of people in about 15 wards and communes of Da Nang City were completely disrupted.
The reason is that Huy Hoang ECO Environmental Joint Stock Company, the main waste treatment unit of the area, suddenly stopped operating after being investigated for environmental violations. As a result, the waste is not collected, piled up in large piles from the house to the alley, from the market to the street.
"There were no garbage trucks or trash bins in front of my house for three days. Every time I open the door, the stench comes straight into the house, flies and mosquitoes are clinging," Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a resident in Vinh Dien block, lamented tiredly.
However, in a small alley in block 3, Dien Ban ward, Da Nang city, the house of Ms. Trinh Thi Nong, Head of the Women's Group of Group 2, became a special recycling station for the whole neighborhood. Large sacks filled with cans, plastic bottles, and cardboard were neatly arranged, waiting for the day to sell to raise funds.
Ms. Nong recalled: "At first, I just thought of simply making the streets cleaner, avoiding having to throw away recyclable things. Gradually, seeing everyone's support, I came up with the idea of selling it to raise funds for the women".
From that idea, the movement spread throughout the group. Anyone with scissors voluntarily brought it to her house, turning a small job into a cultural beauty, a testament to the awareness of environmental protection deeply rooted in the community here.
"From the root" model of eliminating waste hotspots
Each year, the "treasure" of scrap metal of the women's group initiated by Mrs. Nong brings in more than 10 million VND. Although the number is not large, it is an invaluable source of spiritual encouragement. The entire amount was put into the "Love Fund", used to visit women in difficult circumstances, sick; gave gifts to children and rewarded excellent students in the group.
Ms. Le Thi Phuong, President of the Women's Union of Dien Ban Ward, could not hide her pride when mentioning Ms. Nong: "It must be said that Ms. Trinh Thi Nong is a shining example of self-responsibility and responsibility to the community. Her model is not simply collecting scrap metal, but has spread awareness of waste classification to each family, helping the women in the group to be more connected.
While the city is facing difficulties in waste, Ms. Nong's model shows that the most sustainable solution must come from the community. This is a "root-up" approach that we are researching to replicate to other residential groups".
Speaking more about the incident last October, Huy Hoang ECO Environmental Joint Stock Company suddenly stopped operating after being investigated for environmental violations, the Women's Union of Dien Ban Ward immediately organized propaganda sessions, instructing people to classify waste at source.
"We have been effectively maintaining models such as "Green House", weekly recycling collection vehicles in the "Green Sunday" movement. This activity has received a very strong response from the city, both protecting the environment and creating funds to help women and children in difficult circumstances," Ms. Phuong shared.
In particular, Ms. Phuong also emphasized: "Our goal in 2026 is to focus on eliminating garbage collection points that are not in the right places, which cause loss of aesthetics and pollution. We must create a civilized behavior of "putting garbage in our homes", only bringing it when there is a vehicle to collect, not leaving it in front of the house or spontaneously gathering it".
Ms. Phuong also wondered: "We really hope to have support to equip each family with at least one trash bin for sorting, for example, a blue bin for organic waste, so that the sorting is more practical and effective".
