Pesticide packaging is one of the types of hazardous waste that needs to be treated properly. In recent years, all levels, sectors and localities of the province have made great efforts in collecting and treating used pesticide packaging, aiming at developing green and sustainable agriculture. However, in the implementation process, there are still many difficulties and shortcomings that need to be thoroughly overcome.
Using drones to spray pesticides on the fields of Lam Thao district contributes to facilitating the collection and treatment of used pesticide packaging.
Part I: Efforts to implement a closed process
In order for used pesticide packaging to be collected and centralized, limiting the situation of littering in the fields, the province has directed the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to seriously deploy and organize the implementation of Joint Circular No. 05/2016/TTLT-BNNPTNT-BTNMT of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Circular 05) on guidelines for the collection, transportation and treatment of used pesticide packaging in the province. Accordingly, the sectors and localities have made efforts to implement, initially bringing about socio-economic efficiency, protecting the environment in rural areas as well as people's health.
Green fields, clean fields
Recently, the province has paid attention to arranging and directing districts to proactively fund the construction of pesticide containers in the fields in accordance with regulations. Implementing the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, sectors, units and localities have deployed the construction of containers to collect and gather pesticide packages in the fields and fields. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed its affiliated departments and units; coordinated and guided districts, cities and towns to implement the collection of used pesticide containers according to the direction of the province.
Along with that, the Department also strengthens the direction of units to implement Plan No. 1105/KH-UBND dated March 24, 2021 of the Provincial People's Committee on continuing to promote the application of integrated pest management (IPM) on key crops in the period of 2021 - 2025 in the province, ensuring the production environment and sustainable agricultural development.
Comrade Phan Van Dao - Head of the Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection said: "The unit focuses on information, propaganda, and raising awareness for local authorities and people about collecting and handling pesticide packaging through weekly and monthly notifications of crop pests and diseases, reporting to the People's Committees at the commune level, and integrating propaganda of Circular 05. In 2023, 133 training courses were organized for 5,088 people; 12,500 handbooks were printed and distributed with content related to the collection of pesticide packaging... At the same time, localities also actively and seriously implemented effective measures, suitable to actual conditions in collecting pesticide packaging, bringing positive results, creating good habits, protecting people's health, and minimizing environmental pollution".
Tam Nong is a locality that has had many solutions to protect the environment in the fields, especially improving the efficiency of collecting and treating used pesticide packaging. The District People's Committee assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to coordinate with functional departments, specialized departments and offices to invest in the construction and installation of over 300 tanks to store used pesticide packaging in rice fields and annual crops for people to collect after use. Every year, the Department has coordinated with the People's Committees of communes and towns to organize the collection and handover to functional units for treatment according to regulations.
According to statistics, by the end of 2023, the whole province had 6,715 tanks for storing used pesticide packaging; the commune and district levels had allocated over 200 million VND to build tanks, and it is estimated that the number of used pesticide packaging collected annually is about 90% of the total number of used pesticide packaging generated in the fields. It can be affirmed that when the tanks for collecting used pesticide packaging were built, the situation of indiscriminate dumping of pesticide packaging into the fields, causing soil and water pollution, affecting people's health, has been gradually overcome.
People in Phu Ninh district throw used pesticide packages into tanks in the fields.
Strengthening regulatory handling
If the collection of used pesticide containers is considered a necessary condition, then proper treatment is a sufficient and important condition to ensure a closed process and ensure sustainable development of "agriculture, forestry and fishery". Therefore, the district People's Committee has paid attention and proactively arranged funding sources, especially for transportation and treatment.
In Thanh Ba district, the collection and treatment of pesticide packaging after use in the fields is given special attention. Nearly 800 tanks have been installed to store used pesticide packaging at a total cost of VND585 million; the collection and treatment of packaging is organized in accordance with regulations.
Comrade Nguyen Trung Hoc - Head of the District Department of Natural Resources and Environment said: Every year, the District People's Committee has directed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to sign contracts with units with sufficient capacity to collect, transport and treat hazardous waste from pesticide packaging. In 2023, more than 665kg of pesticide packaging, bottles and jars in the area were collected, transported and treated in accordance with regulations. Thanks to that, the collection rate of used pesticide packaging in the area reached 80%; people's awareness of this work has been raised; the situation of throwing, dumping and discarding pesticide packaging and bottles indiscriminately in canals and fields has decreased significantly. The Department has coordinated with sectors and localities to manage and use pesticide packaging tanks effectively and in accordance with regulations.
To improve the efficiency of collecting and processing used pesticide packaging, many localities have come up with creative and effective ways. Lam Thao is known as the "rice granary" and "vegetable granary" of the province, with many large fields, so the quantity and intensity of pesticide use is relatively high. The collection, transportation and processing of used pesticide packaging is basically organized and implemented according to a closed process, in accordance with regulations.
Sharing her experience in performing this task, Deputy Head of the District Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Dang Thi Thu Hien said: "Every year, the District People's Committee allocates funds and assigns the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to sign contracts with communes to collect and transport pesticides with units that have the full capacity to transport and handle them according to regulations. In particular, the district encourages the maintenance and expansion of the model of spraying pesticides on fields using drones, bringing about clear results in centralized collection."
According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the volume of used pesticide packaging collected and destroyed in 2023 was more than 8.7 tons. Regarding the amount of used pesticide packaging that has not been destroyed, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has proposed to the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to sign contracts with units licensed to transport and treat hazardous waste issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for treatment according to regulations.
With the drastic participation of the province, sectors and localities, the work of collecting and treating used pesticide packaging has gradually become routine, promoting efficiency, ensuring the dual goal of economic development associated with environmental protection and people's health. Doing a good job of collecting and treating used pesticide packaging is a condition for localities to complete environmental criteria in new rural construction.
Up to now, the whole province has 146/196 communes meeting environmental and food safety criteria, accounting for 74.5%. However, in reality, there are still "bottlenecks" and "knots" that make the process of collecting and treating pesticide containers in localities difficult. We need to focus on removing them so that the directive documents of the province and the industry with big goals must be thoroughly implemented...
>>> Part II: Sustainable agricultural development
Economic Reporter Group
Source: https://baophutho.vn/huong-toi-nen-nong-nghiep-xanh-ben-vung-217474.htm
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