When the "Green Island" Speaks Up for the Environment

Côn Đảo serves as a national heritage conservation center and a significant biodiversity conservation hub in Vietnam and the region. In recent years, it has become a renowned tourist destination, leading to rapid development in service, tourism, and commerce sectors. However, this economic growth poses substantial environmental protection challenges, especially in managing solid waste and plastic waste.

 


An independent survey by WWF-Vietnam in 2020 estimated that Côn Đảo generates approximately 634 tons of plastic waste annually, with over 40% originating from tourism services. This significant proportion necessitates effective management and treatment strategies, considering the island's remote location and limited waste treatment infrastructure.
 

Display table of single-use plastic alternatives at accommodation facilities in Con Dao District.

Recognizing the urgency, the Côn Đảo District People's Committee issued Plan No. 218/KH-UBND on July 4, 2022, outlining actions for plastic waste management until 2025, with a vision to 2030. The plan aims to reduce single-use plastics by 15–20% at the source through regulations, communication activities, and promoting alternatives. Additionally, the project collaborates with the district's Cultural Information Center to implement Plan No. 195/KH-UBND dated May 9, 2024, focusing on piloting the handbook's guidelines in tourism service businesses. The goal is for all hotels and resorts in the district to eliminate single-use plastic products by the end of 2025.
 


Successful implementation of these plans requires the cooperation of businesses, residents, and relevant units. Therefore, the district, in partnership with WWF-Vietnam, organized the workshop to share experiences, launch the handbook, and encourage businesses to adopt plastic reduction practices. The event attracted nearly 60 participants, including district leaders, representatives from various departments, WWF-Vietnam, and over 50 local businesses.
During the workshop, besides discussing the district's plastic reduction strategies for 2025–2030 and introducing the handbook, businesses that have applied its guidelines shared their efforts in minimizing plastic waste and implementing waste segregation. In the discussion session, participants exchanged ideas and proposed solutions to collaborate effectively with local authorities in managing waste at the source and reducing plastic waste in the current context of Côn Đảo.

A representative of the Organizing Committee presents gifts to thank the pilot businesses for their collaboration in implementing the Plastic Reduction Handbook.

Ms. Nguyễn Thụy Nga, Vice Chairwoman of the Côn Đảo District People's Committee, stated: "Côn Đảo is not only distinguished by its national historical relics but also as a green, safe, and friendly tourist destination, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. To achieve sustainable economic development, balancing tourism growth with environmental protection, managing and treating waste, especially plastic waste in tourism activities, is crucial. Therefore, the determination of tourism service businesses to join hands with various sectors and the district in reducing single-use plastics and managing waste at the source is essential. Our goal is for 100% of hotels and resorts in the district to eliminate single-use plastic products by the end of 2025."
Ms. Nguyễn Thụy Nga, Vice Chairwoman of the Côn Đảo District People's Committee, stated at the Conference

Ms. Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Quỳnh, Project Manager of the Fisheries and Marine Protected Areas Component at WWF-Vietnam, shared: "With the initial development and pilot implementation of the Handbook on Reducing Plastics and Managing Waste Towards a Circular Economy, I believe that the delegates attending the workshop have heard and shared encouraging results and valuable experiences from the participation of 10 pilot units. With the growing trend of green tourism and the district's orientation towards circular economy models, the local tourism industry, with the consensus of management agencies, businesses, and the community, will increasingly affirm its strengths and unique brand, attracting more attention from domestic and international tourists."