– Technology-enabled waste bins combined with advertising are being deployed along the streets of Hanoi by Goda Green Technology Joint Stock Company under a socialization model. However, after more than one year of implementation, the project has revealed a number of shortcomings. To clarify these issues, a reporter from Environment and Life Online Magazine held an interview with Mr. Nguyễn Quang Huân – 15th National Assembly Deputy, Member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation.
VIDEO: What Can We Learn from the Technology-Enabled Waste Bin Project on Hanoi’s Streets?
Interviewer: National Assembly (NA) Deputy Nguyễn Quang Huân, what do you think about the practical significance of the socialized “Smart Trash Bin” project currently being implemented on Hanoi’s streets?
NA Deputy Nguyễn Quang Huân: In my view, this is a good idea. In major cities, especially Hanoi, waste is a very challenging issue. If we can properly manage, collect, and treat urban waste, we can address this problem, both turning waste into resources in line with the spirit of Resolution No. 55 and tackling environmental pollution.
The smart trash bins installed along streets have helped raise public awareness about environmental protection, waste separation, and disposing of waste in designated places. Socialization is also a positive approach, as it helps reduce the burden on the central and Hanoi municipal budgets. This is consistent with the Party’s view that the private sector should become an important driving force of a socialist-oriented market economy.
However, the key issue is how we manage and operate this model so that it can deliver practical results. A good idea or policy will not achieve the expected outcomes if it is poorly managed. On the contrary, it may result in a waste of social resources. Whether the investment comes from the private sector or the State, it ultimately uses social resources. If the system is operated inefficiently and deteriorates after only a few years, it will certainly constitute a waste of those resources.
Interviewer: After more than a year of piloting, smart trash bins on Hanoi’s streets have been found damaged, turned upside down or dismantled, leaving only advertising panels. Some have even become informal waste dumping points, causing environmental and sanitation problems. What is your view on this situation?
NA Deputy Nguyễn Quang Huân: Clearly, there are still many shortcomings in the practical implementation of smart trash bins. One reason is that the intended users have not been clearly communicated. If residents mistakenly believe that these are collection points for household waste, the bins will quickly exceed their capacity and become unsanitary dumping points. Households living near these bins will have to deal with unpleasant odors and a degraded urban landscape. In effect, this is no different from establishing an unplanned waste transfer point in an urban area.
Combining advertising with trash bins is a good approach. However, if the investor only makes the initial investment to generate advertising revenue without reinvesting in improvements, upgrades, and repairs, these bins will fail to deliver their intended benefits after a few years. In particular, without regular supervision, damage and accumulated waste are likely to occur, as we have seen in practice. This is essentially a case of “starting something but failing to follow through.” Like many other projects, if we invest in infrastructure without properly managing and operating it, the project cannot be sustainable.
Interviewer: In your opinion, what should be done to make the smart trash bin model truly effective?
NA Deputy Nguyễn Quang Huân: In my view, the first priority is communication and raising public awareness, so that everyone—from managers to residents—understands the necessity of this smart trash bin system. This is particularly important in major cities such as Hanoi, where indiscriminate littering remains a pressing problem and no truly effective solution has yet been found.
Second, there should be clear regulations on who can use these smart trash bins and what types of waste can be disposed of in them. Without clear rules, large amounts of household waste could exceed the bins’ capacity, turning the locations into unsanitary waste dumping points and damaging the urban landscape.
Third, the project investor needs to closely coordinate with relevant authorities, including local governments, environmental sanitation companies, and residential groups, to effectively manage, operate, and use the trash bin system. Specific schedules should be established for waste collection and cleaning around the bins, together with plans for reinvestment, maintenance, and upgrades when the bins are damaged.
Fourth, the design and locations of these smart trash bins should be reconsidered to ensure they are appropriate for actual conditions. For example, the materials and dimensions of the bins should be improved so that their primary purpose—containing waste—can be properly fulfilled and they can be used over the long term, thereby avoiding waste and protecting the environment.
Interviewer: Besides the smart trash bin model, what recommendations do you have for improving waste collection in urban areas today?
NA Deputy Nguyễn Quang Huân: Most importantly, we need to raise public awareness through education at both the family and community levels about disposing of waste properly and separating waste at source. If people stop littering and reduce their use of plastic waste, the pressure on waste collection and treatment systems in major cities will certainly be significantly reduced. When public awareness comes first and infrastructure follows, different models can be implemented in a more coordinated and effective manner.
One major problem today is that even when residents separate their waste, it is often mixed together again when collected by garbage trucks and transported for treatment. This means that we have not yet achieved effective waste collection and separation or fully realized the potential to turn waste into resources. In developed countries, waste collection vehicles and containers are carefully designed to suit different conditions. Waste bins are clearly distinguished by color and standardized, while garbage trucks have separate compartments so that different types of waste can be transported for recycling and reuse.
In recent years, there have also been many programs and campaigns encouraging people to separate waste, reduce plastic waste, and promote recycling and reuse. These are all meaningful initiatives. However, launching a campaign and then allowing it to gradually fade away clearly does not produce lasting results and can waste social resources. To make such campaigns effective, we need to closely monitor and evaluate their results. If a campaign proves successful, it should be expanded within the community to strengthen people’s awareness of protecting and preserving the shared environment.
Interviewer: Thank you very much, Mr. Huân. We wish you good health and continued success in contributing to environmental protection.