CITY: Phu Quoc
COUNTRY: Viet Nam
POPULATION: 179,480
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: https://phuquoc.kiengiang.gov.vn/

SIGNED DECLARATION

Phu Quoc city in Kien Giang province was established based on Phu Quoc district and became the first island city in Vietnam. Phu Quoc has a natural area of 589.27 km2, including 01 large island, 35 small islands, and 03 reefs. Phu Quoc Island is the largest island, with a natural area of 567.5 square kilometers and a 150 km coastline.

Phu Quoc is located in a large sea area, adjacent to many countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia. With nearly 2/3 of the area being forest, of which Phu Quoc National Park covers an area of 303.98 km2, Phu Quoc has excellent potential for socio-economic development, especially in tourism. Tourism and services, industrial production, construction, fishing, and aquaculture are key economic sectors that contribute significantly to the island's development. Between 2019 and 2022, the number of tourists coming to Phu Quoc every year was around 2 million.

Recognizing the importance of the environment and ecology for the economic development of Phu Quoc, environmental protection is a concern of great significance for competent authorities, organizations, and people. Many environmental protection activities have been implemented in Phu Quoc, such as monthly cleaning programs of government agencies, supporting competitiveness with sustainable development, raising awareness and practice on green tourism, human resource investment, conservation and enhancement of natural and cultural resources, etc.

In November 2019, leaders of Phu Quoc district also officially signed a commitment to participate in implementing the urban plastic reduction action program - an initiative of the International Organization for the Conservation of Nature (WWF) to connect the city's urban areas. Cities and tourist destinations together to take action against plastic pollution.

It is estimated that the total volume of domestic solid waste generated in Phu Quoc in 2020 is 51,683 tons, of which 8,786 tons are solid waste, accounting for 17% (WWF-Vietnam, 2021). On average, each Phu Quoc resident emits 60kg of plastics per year. The main sources of plastic waste in order from highest to lowest are: (1) Household (52.7%), (2) Hotel (29%), (3) Residential and commercial market (8 (8). .6%), (4) Restaurants (2.9%), (5) Fishing Ports (1.1%) and (6) Other sources (5.9%).

The collection rate of plastic waste in Phu Quoc is 90%, of which the public service system collects 80%, and 10% is collected through waste collection and collection units/individuals.

The volume of waste collected and recycled in Phu Quoc is about 1,455 tons/year, equivalent to about 16.5% of the generated waste, which is mainly due to the operation of the informal collection system, of which 10% of recyclables is collected from sources, 6.5% is reverted from the dump site.

The highest risk of daily plastic leakage in Phu Quoc comes from households, markets, and fishing ports. In addition, areas for long-term storage or waste transfer that need to meet technical infrastructure requirements are also at high risk of leakage. Due to the long-standing shortcomings in solid waste management and treatment infrastructure in Phu Quoc, waste has been stored in open dump sites and leaked to many areas, canals, coasts, etc. If the overall risks are considered, the risk of spreading plastic waste into the environment and the sea of Phu Quoc is relatively high, especially in the case of operational problems or extreme weather.

The rate of plastic leakage to the environment of Phu Quoc is 11.8%, including 7.1% of uncollected plastics, 2.7% that is lost from the formal collection system of the Public Works Management Board, 0.1% that is lost from the scrap collection system of the informal sector, and 1 .9% is released from open dumping sites. The total amount of plastics directly leaked into the natural environment (soil, water, sewers, or open burning) is 1,086 tons, of which about 423 tons are lost to the aquatic environment, which is at high risk of dispersed into the sea if there are no solutions for collection and sanitation along the river and canal system.

In addition, every year, Phu Quoc has an extra 6,295 tons of plastic waste stored in the open dumping site. This amount of plastic waste is still on the land. It has a high risk of spreading because sanitary management measures are not applied, which is also considered to be the amount of plastic waste lost to the environment.

Thus, the baseline reference level for plastic leakage to the environment in Phu Quoc is 7,731 tons, including 1,036 tons leaked directly through the management flow from the generation sources and collection system and 6,295 tons lost stored annually in an open dumping site.

The city has promulgated its action plan No. 545/KH-UBND dated 19 November 2019 for managing marine plastic litter in Phu Quoc till 2025 with key objectives as below.

Overall objectives: Managing the marine plastic waste/debris from the in-land and the sea sources in the approach of the circular economy; making Phu Quoc a pioneer in reducing marine plastic waste/debris; creating breakthroughs and radical changes in the awareness raising, behavior changing for the whole community in production, consumption, disposal and treatment of plastic products and plastic waste; developing the consensus among citizens in the implementation of plastic waste management.

Specific objectives by 2025:

• Completely prohibiting single-use plastic products in tourist areas, coastal services, night market businesses, and the importation of single-use plastic products.
• Stop the disposal of fishing gear directly to the sea from fishing boats within the island territory; Request tourist/cruise boats to transport waste to shore.
• Reducing 50% of plastic waste leaking into the marine; 80% of areas within the Phu Quoc MPA have no plastic waste.
• Organizing, developing, and managing the monitoring system; periodically evaluating the situation and forecasting the changes in marine plastic waste/debris at the Duong Dong estuary and other small estuaries and canals; strictly controlling the pollution of marine plastic waste/debris in the high-risk environmental pollution areas.
• Replicating the model of waste sorting at source in the localities that have not had access to the island's waste collection system.
• Developing and piloting the support mechanisms that prioritize and facilitate the suppliers who provide environmentally friendly alternatives for plastic products.
• Developing and piloting the implementation of the circular economic model in the MPA's surrounding coastal areas (Bai Bon hamlet, Ham Ninh commune, Da Chong hamlet, Bai Thom commune).