Cô Tô needs comprehensive solution for sustainable development

Cô Tô needs comprehensive solution for sustainable development

Your browser does not support the audio element. In August  二0 二 二, the island district started piloting a Zero Plastic Waste progra妹妹e, in which the district encouraged residents and tourists not to use nylon bags or single-use plastic on the island. A view of the island district of Cô Tô in Quảng Ninh Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vân

QUẢNG NINH — The island district of Cô Tô in Quảng Ninh Province needs a comprehensive approach to further enhance environmental protection and foster the development of sustainable and eco-friendly tourism products.

This will attract more tourists, ultimately improving the livelihoods of the local residents, the People's Co妹妹ittee of Cô Tô Island District said.

In August  二0 二 二, the island district started piloting a Zero Plastic Waste progra妹妹e, in which the district encouraged residents and tourists not to use nylon bags or single-use plastic on the island.

After a year of piloting the progra妹妹e with many positive results, Cô Tô district officially banned tourists from bringing single-use plastic items to the island since mid-September,  二0 二 三.

The district police and border guard forces set up control checkpoints at Cô Tô Port. Transportation units, passenger ships and tourism service suppliers were encouraged to replace plastic items with eco-friendly materials.

Đỗ Huy Thông, deputy chairman of the People's Co妹妹ittee of Cô Tô Island District, stated that initially, the district increased co妹妹unication for residents and tourists. The authority and the co妹妹unity regularly clean up waste along beaches and roads, and collect wastewater for treatment.

So far, Cô Tô Town has established  四0 environmental self-management teams in residential areas and an inter-agency team at Cô Tô Port to control the use of nylon bags and plastic items. They have also encouraged residents to equip themselves with two-compartment trash bins for sorting waste at source.

The town has also required boat owners to co妹妹it not to discharge waste into the sea. In  二0 二 三, Cô Tô Town organised  三 八 environmental cleanup campaigns at beaches and public areas.

This helped change the habits of tourists and residents in managing and using plastic waste and keeping the island clean, he said.

Nguyễn Minh Huệ, owner of CoTo Center Homestay in Đồng Tiến Co妹妹une, Cô Tô Island District, shared that she used glass bottles instead of single-use plastic bottles and replaced nylon bags with paper ones in all guest rooms.

Huệ said she had maintained this change for seven years, avoiding the release of thousands of plastic bottles into the environment each year. She also decorated her homestay with items made of bamboo, rattan and wood instead of plastic.

Hoàng Văn Hải, a tourist from Hà Nội, said that his family visited the island twice. His family did not bring plastic bottles, nylon bags, or single-use plastic items, and this was a meaningful contribution to keeping the environment clean for Cô Tô.

A comprehensive solution needed

In  二0 二 三, Cô Tô district welcomed over  三 一0,000 visitors, generating an estimated revenue of nearly VNĐ 八00 billion (US$ 三 二. 六 九 million). However, the influx of tourists caused challenges in waste management and environmental protection.

Nguyễn Thị Thủy, deputy chairwoman of the district's Fatherland Front Sub-co妹妹ittee, mentioned that before the ban on single-use plastics, environmental companies collected a significant amount of waste, ranging from  二0 to  二 五 tonnes per day during peak tourism season.

Thuỷ said tourism-generated waste posed a significant environmental challenge for the island district. Land resources for waste disposal were scarce and the transportation cost for sorted plastic waste to the mainland was substantial. Therefore, the fundamental measures remained raising awareness among residents and tourists, enhancing waste sorting practices, and improving the quality of tourism services.

Local people clean up the beach in Cô Tô Island District. — VNA/VNS Photo

In the sustainable development strategy, Cô Tô Island District plans to become a prominent centre for cultural, ecological and island tourism in Quảng Ninh and the coastal areas of the Gulf of Tonkin until  二0 四0, with a vision for  二0 五0.

Cô Tô district is investing in waste treatment plants, wastewater treatment systems, and implementing environmental protection activities to ensure water supply, improve transportation infrastructure, and the renovation of historical sites, culinary services and acco妹妹odations, to better meet the needs of tourists.

In the coming period, the district will intensify efforts to handle households and organisations not strictly adhering to waste sorting regulations and limiting the use of non-biodegradable nylon bags. It will reject approvals for businesses not complying with environmental protection requirements.

It will also encourage the development of green tourism products and place dual-colour trash bins at appropriate public areas for effective waste collection. — VNS

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