Waste and informal recycling activities in Hanoi, Vietnam

There is scant evidence of ‘waste being wasted’ in Hanoi: food scraps from hotels and restaurants are collected for pig farms, and even mango seeds are recycled by shampoo manufacturers. Nevertheless, the increasing amount of waste collected and the increasing numbers of people working in the streets and dump sites present a major health and safety challenge that has been ignored by the municipality. This article describes how this recycling network collects, distributes and reprocesses all of the recyclable waste generated by the people of Hanoi each day. It argues that these activities should be supported by the public sector and suggests ways in which the informal sector could be encouraged to improve the solid waste management system in Hanoi.