Going back to see the recycling initiative that Da Nang set up in tourist areas
Vietnam has a tough time facing reality. They are well-known throughout the world for being one of the largest per-capita polluters of any country in the world. If you live here you can see this in action because it doesn't really matter where you go, there is trash everywhere. While I cannot confirm this is true or not, the rumor has it that the sewers pump in giant pipes several miles off the coast and that is their septic treatment program. Fish are pretty good at taking care of human waste but since the areas are fished by commercial vessels to the point of near eradication of all ocean species, there is not much out there to eat the waste. And to think.... some people consider seafood a "cleaner" type of food.
About 5 years ago the city and more specifically the area that I live in put up a bunch of signs about "going green" and then had recycling bins put all over the place. Since I often travel on a scooter to the other part of town that is in no way affiliated with tourism, I saw first hand that these green initiatives applied ONLY in the tourist areas. I had my suspicions that this would be the case anyway but when I saw that the whole "going green" thing was all just a lie to trick tourists, it was still kind of depressing.
Well, these days the recyling centers that they set up in the areas that tourists would frequently walk have almost completely become unattended, unmaintained, and even though there isn't much in the way of nature around, the jungle has taken them over.
Now if you were a sensible government official - if there is such a thing - wouldn't it be more prudent to simply take these things away? It doesn't add much to the ambiance and it has the opposite effect that was originally intended of duping the visitors into believing that the government actually cares about the environment.
This one isn't as terrible, but it is still pretty bad. One thing that always kind of irritated me about these was that the entrance where you drop off the bottles or whatever had these sort of security methods built in to make it impossible or at the minimum, painful for any waste collector that is trying to make a few bucks for to exchange for food. Just why?
It also made me upset that they had a few sections for things I know damn well that this city doesn't have the capacity to recycle anyway. Batteries and glass are not recycled in Da Nang, or perhaps anywhere in Vietnam. So if you were a conscientious traveler who separated these things they simply ended up getting thrown in the regular trash anyway.
The money that was spent on this ruse could have been used for anything else and it would have been better spent. If this country truly wants to clean up their image they could do so. I would start by punishing people for littering, which I've seen it with my own eyes man, people just throw things on the ground when they are done with it and they have no remorse or fear of consequences when doing so. Cabbies throwing cigarettes buts on the the ground is extremely common.
⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜᴛʜᴇᴀsᴛ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ
⋆ sᴜʙsᴄʀɪʙᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ
⋆ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴠᴏᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀɪʟ
⋆ ᴅᴇʟᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪɴᴋs 25 ʜᴘ⇾50 ʜᴘ⇾100 ʜᴘ⇾500 ʜᴘ⇾1,000 ʜᴘ
awesome!
I thought it was a bird cage
it may as well be... aint nobody using it for recycling and it needs to be recycled itself.
Fifty years ago pumping raw sewerage into the ocean worked, but since there are more people that have grown these city areas this needs to change. Infrastructure needs to be upgraded and increased along with sewerage treatment plants. I think it is disgusting and even though I do eat fish I avoid shell fish and any type of lobster. Humans are thoughtless and have no concept the damage they are creating through polluting which does end up in the sea.
i don't go in the ocean once I found this out. I actually saw one of these being constructed and just because it goes WAY TF OUT THERE, doesn't mean that this isn't poo poo and pee pee and all manner of whatever else people flush just swimming around about a km from where people frolic around in the surf. That water heads this way because of tides you know?
In the army I was stationed on a bluff and at the end of the bluff was a really smelly place that had a pipeline we called the sewerage farm. On certain days the stench was so bad you could taste it in the air lol. The currents like you say don't just go one way out to sea and will depending on the tide come back to the shore line.
I can't believe that this city is still doing this but it does seem to be the case. I was wondering why there are not waste treatment plants here nor do any of the buildings have cisterns or whatever those things are called that collect the toilet flushings. it's really gross if you consider there are more than a million people here and all that waste is just going straight into the sea. I would think that this would need to change at some point but I also don't believe that this country actually gives a damn about the environment.
So sad when good environment projects are not maintained well. Real change need consistent action, discipline for waste management both the government and the people.
I think the problem in Vietnam is that they don't build the plants in the first place. Singapore does it right and well they kind of have to. They have no land to fill up with trash and Vietnam does. I would hate to see the landfills here because I am sure they are just disgusting.
Vietnam doesn't even recycle glass. IF you put that out it just stays there, nobody wants it. I was under the impression that glass was the easiest one to recycle.