Call for planning policy and biotechnology solutions for food waste management and valorization in Vietnam

Abstract

Food waste (FW) is more harmful than previously imagined. A large amount of Vietnam’s FW ends up in landfills, only 20 % of which are sanitary. This causes significant environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, high carbon footprint, leachate, and landfill-related conflicts. The FW from Vietnam’s urban areas is 0.29 kg⸳p−1⸳d−1, accounting for 31.7 % of total waste. 38.81 % of families discharge FW which, along with municipal waste, corresponds to 4,429.21 ton⸳d−1 for the entire country. For FW collection, under transportation and treatment heads, 80,416.95 $⸳d−1 and 74,605.57 $⸳d−1 were spent, respectively. An analysis of Vietnam’s national strategy for the integrated management of solid waste indicates that the amount of attention and concern currently given to FW issues is not adequate to address them. To resolve FW issues, Vietnam needs to be more proactive regarding solutions and efforts, in addition to implementing strict regulations. These include the setting of national goals under the priority of national strategy, strict regulations, stakeholder engagement, FW recycling to animal feed, biorefinery, and awareness-raising campaigns.

Keywords

• Food waste
• Animal feed
• Fertilizer
• Biorefinery
• Waste management