The extraordinary journeys of waste

Nurturing life from waste

In the Đồng Cạn area of ​​Đại Đồng hamlet, Thịnh Sơn commune, Đô Lương district, over 300 dragon fruit trees belonging to Ms. Nguyễn Thị Sáu's family (born in 1969) are thriving. This is the third season the trees have yielded fruit of sweet, fragrant quality. Ms. Sáu's dragon fruit is in high demand, with traders buying it directly from the fields. What makes this dragon fruit orchard special is that all the fertilizer used comes from...organic waste sourcesof the family.

Skillfully spreading straw over each dragon fruit plant, Ms. Sau smiled brightly as she shared that she developed this dragon fruit farming model on her rice paddy land in late 2022. At that time, the fertilizers her family used were usually manure or chemical fertilizers. However, using manure made the plants susceptible to disease, while using chemical fertilizers was expensive and easily depleted the soil's fertility.

Then, at the end of 2023, she was guided by the Women's Association of the commune on how to make bio-fertilizer from waste, and her model entered a new chapter. Using organic waste such as leftover food, vegetables, spoiled fruit, and corn leaves, she skillfully put them into a composting bin with...microbial preparationsIn just a few months, the waste was composted into loose, organic fertilizer that was ready for use.

Carefully tending to the juicy dragon fruit, Ms. Sau shared that since using fertilizer made from organic waste, the area of ​​dragon fruit cultivation has seen a significant reduction in pests and diseases, saving costs while improving fruit quality. Seeing the effectiveness of this model, other villagers have also adopted it. Currently, nearly 250 households in Thinh Son commune have proactively sourced microbial fertilizer from organic waste for their production. As a result, the amount of household waste has decreased noticeably, ensuring environmental hygiene while also helping plants thrive and achieve higher yields.

Besides producing bio-fertilizer for their family's farming needs, every Sunday, the waste collection team of Thinh Son commune collects and transports approximately 15 tons of organic waste from the commune to Doi Choi Farm – a typical high-tech agricultural model of Do Luong district located in Thinh Son commune. This organic waste is processed into bio-fertilizer by the farm, playing a crucial role in caring for the farm's crops. Day after day, the 15 hectares of vegetables and fruits at Doi Choi Farm are thriving, proving that waste can also bring immense value if we know how to utilize and revitalize it.

Transforming waste into useful projects.

Not only do these women transform waste into bio-fertilizer, but their skillful hands and dedication also turn it into valuable gifts to support those less fortunate.

This is clearly demonstrated in Thuan Son commune, Do Luong district. Following Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien - President of the Women's Union of Thuan Son commune, we visited the family of Ms. Le Thi Huong (born in 1976) in Thuan Ly hamlet - a disadvantaged family that has received valuable support from the scrap metal sales fund of the women's union at various levels.

Ms. Huong is a poor household in the commune, struggling to care for a child with a serious illness. Understanding her plight, the women's associations in the commune unanimously decided to donate nearly 3 million VND from their waste and scrap collection fund to her, supporting her family in developing a poultry farming model. Now, Ms. Huong's flock of chickens is thriving, with each chicken weighing around 3 kg. With a clever production cycle – selling broiler chickens and breeding chicks – Ms. Huong's family has a stable source of income to improve their economic situation.

Also in 2024, from this fund, the women in Thuan Son commune purchased a piglet worth nearly 3 million VND to give to the family of Ms. Tran Thi Tien (born in 1991) - a single mother in difficult circumstances in Thuan Dong hamlet. Although the gift was not substantial in material terms, it was a meaningful source of encouragement to help Ms. Tien alleviate some of her immediate difficulties.

In recent times, sorting waste for sale to raise funds for disadvantaged women has become a valuable practice for families in Thuan Son commune. Families carefully sort inorganic waste into two main categories: recyclable waste such as plastic bottles, cans, cardboard, and old books and newspapers are collected and sold to scrap dealers by local women's associations. As for old clothes, blankets, and rags, the women in the associations collect them and sell them to car and motorbike wash businesses. The money earned is added to the association's fund to purchase seedlings, livestock, and health insurance cards for disadvantaged members in the commune.

On average, 9-10 million VND is generated annually from this activity to implement meaningful initiatives. Since 2021, 14 disadvantaged women have received 6 health insurance cards and breeding chickens and pigs. In addition, women's associations have provided gifts to support 12 underprivileged students in their studies. From seemingly worthless bags of garbage, these women have transformed them into a source of livelihood and useful contributions to the community.

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Activities such as making compost or fundraising to support disadvantaged women, though simple, hold great significance in the journey of spreading love among more than 45,000 female members here. To date, more than 6,241 models of waste sorting and processing at source have been established, and nearly 4,000 disadvantaged women and children have received assistance from these funds.
Every day, many innovative models created by women are being replicated to fulfill different "missions" for waste in life. The "second journey" of waste in Do Luong district is a heartwarming story about sharing and the effort to transform seemingly useless things into sustainable values ​​in today's life.

Ms. Thai Thi Hien - President of the Women's Union of Do Luong District