Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 06 April, 2015,
The Vietnam Recycling Platform (VRP), a consortium initially founded by HP and Apple, today announced a new initiative for the recycling of e-waste. The program – named Vietnam Recycles – is a free take-back program for used or defective electronic products with an aim to ensure their safe and environmentally sound recycling.

The program supports both producers and consumers and is fully compliant with the recent Prime Ministerial Decision about the collection and treatment of discarded products which came into effect Jan 1, 2015 and sees manufacturers of electronic products responsible for receiving and treating/recycling electronic waste for environment protection.

According to Vietnam’s Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (INEST), the volume of e-waste in Vietnam is increasing rapidly due to the sharp increase in product demand. However, the level of public awareness regarding waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is very limited.

Vietnam Recycles will collect and process all used or defective electronic products in a safe and professional manner to ensure highly professional waste treatment and achieve maximum recovery of natural resources.  It provides free take-back and recycling services for governmental agencies, institutions and enterprise customers in the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City regions since end January 2015. Starting end-June and end-July 2015, the program will be open to consumers where they can drop-off their used or defective IT products in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi respectively.

“With Vietnam Recycles, we want to contribute to Vietnam’s environmental protection activities,” said Patrick Wiedemann, CEO of Reverse Logistics Group – VRP’s general contractor. “We are thrilled to bring our expertise and techniques to build new standards in collection, logistics and recycling for Vietnam. The key for this program’s success lays in the strong collaboration and support from government, organizations and consumers.”

“Effective collaboration between all sections of society is essential to create a safe and sound recycling process, helping build up a greener environment for communities. Therefore, I would like to call for the participation of all individuals and organizations in the journey towards creating a more sustained and environmentally-friendly society in Vietnam,” said Kok Wah Boey, Head of Environmental Management, HP Asia Pacific and Japan.

“This program means a lot for Vietnam” Mr. Hoang Duong Tung – Deputy Director General -Vietnam Environment Administration shared. “We have seen some recycling programs organized some time ago but in small and short-term manner. The main issue originated from the lack of understanding of communities about e-waste recycling, the shortage in investment for proper e-waste management system and most importantly the long-term commitment in green projects. We do appreciate the initiatives of VRP and how the organization is positioned as companion for Vietnam’s greener future. We believe in the positive outcomes that will make changes in Vietnam’s environment.”

For more information about Vietnam Recycles in terms of policy, procedure or registration, please refer to our official website: www.vietnamrecycles.com

About Vietnam Recycles

Vietnam Recycles is a free take-back for used or defective electrical and electronic equipment to ensure their safe and environmentally sound recycling.

All used or defective electrical and electronic equipment returned through the program are safely collected and professionally processed to achieve maximum recovery of natural resources and ensure highly professional waste treatment. 

Vietnam Recycles is run by the Vietnam Recycling Platform (VRP), a consortium of leading producers of electrical and electronic equipment founded by Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. and Apple South Asia Pte. Ltd.. The objectives of the Vietnam Recycling Platform are to reduce electronic waste, increase recycling and manage the environmental, health and safety impact of products at the end of their life cycles.

Vietnam Recycles is operated by the assigned General Contractor – RLG Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd..