10/06/2026
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Did you know that the straw or plastic cup you casually toss away today could very well end its life somewhere in the ocean? Plastic waste from land is one of the primary drivers of marine ecosystem degradation. According to data from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the city generates approximately 9,000 tonnes of household waste every day, of which plastic waste accounts for roughly 1,800 tonnes. Without proper source separation and risk control, large quantities of non-biodegradable waste will infiltrate the city's canal systems, leak into the ocean, and directly disrupt underwater ecological chains.
From Land to Ocean: Stopping the Plastic Waste Crisis at the Source
In the face of climate change and environmental pollution, the United Nations has issued an urgent call to action: "We said 1.5 degrees Celsius was the limit. But we are crossing it." Alongside efforts to control global temperatures, this year's World Oceans Day campaign emphasizes the goal of establishing strong Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
However, environmental and ecological economics experts affirm that ocean recovery cannot rely solely on downstream collection at sea; it must address the problem upstream, on land. The ocean is bearing the enormous consequences of a linear economic model built on extraction, production, and disposal. According to global environmental reports, more than 80% of plastic waste that enters the ocean originates from land-based sources. Protecting the marine environment must therefore begin with restructuring waste management systems and transforming consumption behavior in our cities.
UEH's Green Practice Station: Turning Waste into "Secondary Resources"
In line with the national strategy on sustainable development and the circular economy model, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) approaches the plastic waste challenge through practical operational management solutions. At UEH, waste is not treated as something to be discarded; it is positioned as a "secondary resource" to be recovered.
Through the UEH Green Campus project, UEH has set a target to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill by 65%. To achieve this, the UEH Go Green Station system has been deployed with rigorous sorting standards to control material quality at the source:
- Model 7: More than just a set of bins, this is a detailed separation process that sorts waste into 7 categories: liquids, food scraps, metals, recyclable plastics, paper, milk cartons, and residual waste. This process effectively prevents cross-contamination between waste types, preserving and enhancing the commercial value of materials before they are transferred to processing facilities.
- Model 3: A basic three-way separation into food scraps, recyclable waste, and residual waste, placed in high-traffic areas to encourage consistent sorting habits across the campus community.
Evidence-Based Data and a Culture of Sustainable Consumption Among Students
The effectiveness of source-based waste management is reflected in real recovery data. Through a technology-enabled collection partnership with BOTOL at Campus B, the UEH community successfully sorted and recovered 1,996 plastic bottles. This figure carries more than just physical significance; it represents thousands of responsible consumption behaviors captured as data. All recovered PET plastic is routed directly to a network of recycling partners, establishing a closed-loop supply chain rather than allowing materials to leak into waterways.
For economics students, the responsibility to protect the ocean does not lie in communication slogans; it is expressed through a culture of sustainable consumption. Every decision to refuse single-use plastic packaging, or the few patient seconds spent correctly sorting an empty bottle at a Go Green Station, is a direct investment in the ecological future of our planet.
#UEHGreenCampus #WorldEnvironmentDay2026 #WorldOceansDay2026 #VietnamSeaAndIslandsWeek
News and photos: UEH Green Campus Project
