Plastic from GH boom blights Vietnam's vegetable basket

Cam Ly landfill was, until it was shut down in 2020, the primary dumping ground for the city of Dalat. Five kilometres from central Dalat in the Central Highlands region, the landfill was the final destination for the majority of plastic used in agriculture in the hilltop locale.

But in August 2019, heavy rain prompted an outpouring of trash, sending plastic sheeting from greenhouses and untreated agrichemical bags and bottles rushing downhill. The incident covered lowland farms in thousands of tonnes of waste.

Dalat is the capital of Lam Dong province. The municipality is known for its temperate climate, rolling hills, pine trees and agriculture. Over the past two decades, plastic greenhouses have enveloped much of the landscape within the city and surrounding areas.

These greenhouses have increased agricultural production and raised farmers' income. However, they are also contributing to rising temperatures, floods, pollution of waterways and the build-up of agri-plastic waste, with no formal system for recycling.

Plastic shield against a volatile climate

While greenhouses are expensive, they are a "mark of achievement" for many farmers, often lead to higher yields, and act as a "safety net against climate change", says Nguy?n Châu B?o, co-founder of Act Now, a Dalat-based environmental non-profit. With increasingly unpredictable weather patterns in the region, greenhouses allow farmers to control the environment and shield crops from harsh conditions.

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Source: Eco-Business