'The farmer's wife' starts her business from... waste.

By transforming waste into biodegradable dishwashing liquid and floor cleaner, Ms. Hong not only escaped poverty but also created jobs for hundreds of women in the area. This model is particularly effective in encouraging residents to work together to collect waste, resulting in a cleaner living environment.

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Ms. Hong introduces her products. Photo: VGP/Luu Huong

Overcoming fate

Ms. Trinh Thi Hong, 50 years old, residing in Hoa Minh Ward, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City, was orphaned at a young age. Growing up with her five siblings, she and her siblings were surrounded by the love, care, and support of their neighbors. Therefore, she dreams of one day doing many useful things to help the community, especially impoverished households.

Despite facing many hardships and battling breast cancer, she strives to overcome her circumstances. During the day, she works as a factory worker in a garment factory, and in the evening, she continues to attend supplementary education classes. She also actively participates in the activities of the Women's Association in her neighborhood and ward.

Her entrepreneurial journey began in 2012 when she was sent to the Philippines to attend a workshop on community development for impoverished Asians. There, she heard presentations about innovative practices that benefited society and the community. She was most impressed by the method of composting plant waste to create environmentally friendly bio-products.

"Bringing the idea back to my country and noticing that every house in the area had so many styrofoam trash cans, I thought, 'If these waste materials could be transformed into usable products while also creating a cleaner environment, how wonderful that would be.' That thought spurred me to start implementing it immediately," Ms. Hong confided.

Despite numerous failures, Ms. Hong never gave up but continued to learn from her mistakes to achieve success. "At that time, everyone said I was crazy because I spent all day collecting trash and tinkering with it without knowing what I was doing with it," Ms. Hong happily shared.

After 5 years of perseverance and learning, success finally smiled upon her, and the biological dishwashing and floor cleaning product named "Minh Hong" was born.

After successfully creating biodegradable dishwashing liquid and floor cleaner by composting plant waste, Ms. Trinh Thi Hong shared her "secret" with other women in difficult circumstances so they could try it too.

Currently, 126 women in Hoa Minh area and surrounding regions have become her "collaborators," earning an average monthly income of 3-5 million VND.

According to Ms. Hong's method, the ingredients for processing waste into a cleaning solution include 3 kg of plant waste (leaves, vegetables, flowers, roots, fruits, etc.) washed and cut into pieces about 3 cm long; 10 kg of water and 300 g of starch sugar, mixed well and fermented in a sealed container for 30 days.

At the end of this stage, a yellow crude solution is obtained. For every 10 liters of this solution, 2 liters of finished product are produced through filtration and extraction. To create a thick consistency, foam, and aroma, the product is fermented for an additional 45 days with eggplant and turmeric starch preparations.

According to Ms. Hong, transforming waste into cleaning solutions is very useful for every family, saving on living expenses and benefiting health. More importantly, through this model, people work together to collect waste, thereby creating a cleaner living environment.

Startup

In January 2016, Ms. Hong decided to participate in the startup incubation program of the Da Nang Business Incubator with the desire to receive more systematic training and apply more advanced technology to her production process. After 6 months of incubation, she established her own business named Minh Hong, along with more specific business plans.

Also in September 2016, she signed a contract with Intimex supermarket to bring her products to consumers.

Ms. Huynh Thi Le, President of the Women's Association of Hoa Minh Ward and also a "collaborator" of Ms. Hong, shared: "She is diligent and eager to learn. Despite failing after many attempts, she will succeed. Now, my whole family dedicates their free time to doing this extra work, and on average, I receive 4-5 million VND per month."

Besides participating in production, every week Ms. Hong also teaches her skills to women in the ward and surrounding areas to expand this model, helping disadvantaged families escape poverty.

Dishwashing liquid made from organic waste by Ms. Hong. Photo: VGP/Luu Huong

Ms. Hong, currently the Head of the Front Committee for Community Affairs in Hoa Phu 5 residential area, Hoa Minh ward, is renowned for her skillful approach to supporting the poor.

Speaking about her business model, Ms. Hong said that many businesses have approached her to collaborate on product development or buy her production process at very high prices, but she has refused them all, citing her inability to guarantee two things: keeping the environment clean and providing livelihoods for the poor.

"I'm not doing this business for personal gain; I want to create a useful product that helps poor and disadvantaged women find employment. This is my heartfelt wish and my way of showing gratitude to the community that once sheltered and supported me during difficult times," Ms. Hong said.

According to Luu Huong/chinhphu.vn