Ho Chi Minh City, April 10, 2016: Vietnam Recycles (Việt Nam Tái Chế), the free take-back program for used or defective electronic equipment showcased a range of fun, exciting and educational activities at the ninth annual Recycling Day 2016.

The event was held by the Ho Chi Minh City Natural Resources and Environment Department at  HCMC Labor Culture Palace, 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 1.

Set in a festival-like atmosphere, Vietnam Recycles area included quizzes, a unique photo corner and a short video about e-waste recycling. Based on its 3T premise (Tiết giảm, Tái sử dụng và Tái chế, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), all activities aimed to communicate and create awareness among enterprises and locals in terms of the importance of professional take-back and recycling for electronic products.

“It is great that, we finally have an option in Vietnam to dispose of our discarded products in a responsible manner. I like that the manufacturers offer this service for free and thus care for their products even when they have reached their end of life,” Ms Ngoc Truc of District 1 Ho Chi Minh city shared on the day. “The interactive activities held by Vietnam Recycles here today have helped me to learn about the importance of proper recycling practices that help to protect our country’s natural environment.”

“Participating in Recycling Day both supports the Ho Chi Minh City Natural Resources and Environment Department’s green message for the city’s future, but also helps individuals and companies to learn more about  the government’s aim to overcome the indiscriminate disposal of e-waste causing environmental issues,” said Ms. Monina de Vera-Jacob, South East Asia (SEA) Environmental Manager at HP Inc. Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. “Through our program, we support the authorities in facilitating responsible e-waste recycling management and offer our consumers a free of charge drop-off option for their discarded electronic products.”

The Circular on the implementation details Prime Ministerial Decision 16/2015/QĐ-TTg is scheduled to come into effect in July 2016. Accordingly, manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment are required to organize a take-back service or drop-off points for their discarded products.

Officially launched in January 2015, Vietnam Recycles supports enterprises and consumers to collect and recycle discarded electronic equipment in a professional and environmentally sound manner in line with Decision 16.  It has subsequently grown a network of ten collection points in HCMC and Hanoi.

Since its inception, the program has worked closely with local authorities and organized various community advocacy activities to spread information on responsible e-waste disposal and the importance of professional recycling methods.

People looking to dispose of electronic items including household, personal or industrial electrical or mobile devices can bring to designated collection points shown at www.vietnamrecycles.com / www.vietnamtaiche.com.vn.  Institutions or companies who are interested to partner with Vietnam Recycles can also register on these websites.

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 HP Inc. 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.