On the morning of October 15th, 2019, The students of RMIT held a meeting to share the research results about project “Examining The Value chain of recyclable in Hue City (Vietnam) for Better Plastic Pollution Mitigation” with the Departments, stakeholders in Thua Thien Hue Province.
The overall purpose of this research project is to select and analyse the sub sector value chains within Hue City’s recyclable waste management sector. By doing so, the sub sector value chains should provide an understanding into potential revenue generation and loss throughout both formal and informal waste management systems.

The research project aims to develop a better understanding about the value chain of recyclable waste in Hue City so that CSRD can better plan its interventions for better waste collection systems, promote the role of vulnerable women in the informal sector, and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.

The economic potential of recyclable materials is embedded in the service chain and material recovery processes. The informal sector plays a vital role in removing valuable material from the waste stream, where low-value plastics are utilised for economic gain. The informal waste management sector is comprised of vulnerable communities, predominantly women of lower socioeconomic status, who work to support their families financially. These populations depend primarily on the revenue generated from independent operations, and the system thrives through capitalising off a free-market system. Through promoting the role of the informal sector, an increase in material value is achieved. This has the potential to minimize the volume of waste that ends up as contamination in the environment.
Households serve as another significant contributor to the recyclable waste system and are responsible for 26.6% of material sent to the waste stream. The role of households can be maximised through recommended community education programs that focus on training women in source separation. This endeavour ensures that household recyclable waste is managed appropriately and increases the value in the chain.