A mobile store of Refill Đây project in Hà Long Bay. — VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Mai HCM CITY — A Vietnamese university lecturer has won a prize in the UNDP’s Ending Plastic Pollution Innovation Challenge. Nguyễn Hữu Nhân, a lecturer of Việt Nam RMIT University, started a project named 'Refill Đây' (Refill Here) to work with manufacturing businesses to set up mobile refilling stores for retail products such as detergent, cosmetics, spices and dried foods in residential areas so people can bring use own containers to reduce plastic waste. Born and raised in the US, Nhân returned to Viet Nam in 2002. A year later, he joined the RMIT staff as an associate lecturer teaching marketing, management and entrepreneurship courses. He is also known as an environmental activist and has founded many projects and organisations working in environmental protection. He founded the non-profit organisation Việt Nam Clean and Green and is a core partner of the Vietnam Zero Waste Alliance. Changing consumer behaviour "Every minute, disposable plastic leaks into the environment, causing a series of problems such as river and sea clogging, killing terrestrial and aquatic animals, contaminating the food chain, thereby causing human health problems," Nhân said. “Meanwhile, the many plastic bottles, jars, and containers that consumers use can be reused many times,” he added. However, there are currently not many convenient alternatives for purchasing the products in plastic bottles or bags, leading to more plastic waste being discharged into the environment, he said. Refill Đây attempts to solve these problems before they become challenging by limiting the use of plastic. “We offered an alternative to single-use plastic by going to customer sites such as at homes, offices, restaurants or hotels to refill reusable containers with reliable products,” Nhân said. According to Nhân, there are already filling and waste-free stores that work very well in …
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