Ensuring a clean and beautiful environment during the Lunar New Year

In the days before, during and after the Lunar New Year, the volume of household waste often increases sharply, placing great pressure on collection and treatment activities. To ensure a green - clean - beautiful landscape, environmental service units have activated peak plans, increasing manpower, vehicles and working hours to ensure the collection of all waste generated in residential areas, markets, streets and public spaces.

Maintaining environmental hygiene not only creates a tidy appearance but also contributes to building a civilized image in the early days of Spring.

Waste collection activities ahead of Lunar New Year 2026 in Tran Bien ward. Photo: Hoang Loc

Proactively implementing solutions to ensure a clean and beautiful environment

In early February 2026, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Tran Trong Toan signed Document No. 2039/SNNMT-MT sent to the People’s Committees of 95 wards and communes; infrastructure investors of economic zones, industrial parks and industrial clusters; as well as production, business and service establishments across the province on strengthening waste collection and treatment during the Lunar New Year 2026. The document requests People’s Committees of wards and communes to develop plans and disseminate regulations to neighborhoods, residential groups, hamlets, and production, business and service establishments to fully grasp and implement them. At the same time, communes must implement measures to control pollution sources and strictly monitor discharge activities, especially at livestock farms and production facilities with large discharge volumes; asking them for sanitation of barns and workshops before Tet and full compliance with environmental regulations.

For infrastructure investors of industrial parks and clusters, the agriculture and environment sector requires strict supervision of the complete separation of rainwater and wastewater drainage systems; ensuring the collection of all generated wastewater; strictly controlling facilities that operate their own wastewater treatment systems to ensure compliance with standards and prevent any discharge of untreated wastewater into the environment. Units must assign environmental personnel to be on duty 24/7 at centralized wastewater treatment systems, while proactively preparing equipment, manpower and response plans for environmental incidents during Tet.

For production, business and service establishments, the Department of Agriculture and Environment requires strict compliance with the collection, storage and classification of domestic solid waste, common industrial waste and hazardous waste; ensuring wastewater and emissions are treated to meet standards before being discharged into the environment. In case of incidents, units must implement initial response measures and immediately report the incidents to competent authorities for coordinated remediation, ensuring a clean and safe environment for people to celebrate Spring and welcome Tet.

With these requirements, the Department of Agriculture and Environment calls on authorities, enterprises and residents to comply with regulations, proactively prevent and promptly address risks; ensuring a clean, beautiful and safe environment so that every family can fully enjoy the Spring season.

Increasing manpower and vehicles for waste collection

During Tet, the volume of household waste often rises much higher than on normal days. To cope with collection pressure, localities have implemented general clean-up plans before and after Tet, while environmental service companies and waste collection cooperatives have also developed plans to increase manpower and vehicles, maintaining collection even on Lunar New Year’s Eve night and throughout the Tet holiday.

Workers of Sonadezi Environment Joint Stock Company clean the road surface to ensure a clean and beautiful environment. Photo: Hoang Loc

According to Le Xuan Sam, General Director of Sonadezi Environment Joint Stock Company, from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month of the Year of the Snake, waste volume increased sharply as residents conducted house clean-ups, while cultural activities, art performances and Spring flower festivals also took place during this time. The company mobilized workers and collaborators to intensify collection. On the night of the 29th day of Tet and the morning of the first day of Tet alone, the company mobilized all 53 specialized vehicles and more than 150 employees. In addition, 106 vehicles and about 300 collaborators worked throughout Lunar New Year’s Eve night, ensuring waste was cleared before 6 a.m. on the first day of Tet.

Also according to Sam, from January 2026, the company sent collection schedules to each ward and household. Accordingly, from February 10 to 15, 2026 (from the 23rd to the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month of the Year of the Snake), general clean-up and collection proceeded as usual; on February 16, 2026 (the 29th day of Tet), waste was gathered before 2 p.m.; on February 17, 2026 (the first day of Tet), collection was suspended; from February 18, 2026 (the second day of Tet), collection resumed as normal. The company recommends that residents gradually bring out waste from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month and comply with gathering times to limit backlog and ensure urban aesthetics.

Nguyen Duy Hoa, General Director of Binh Phuoc Environmental Technology Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, said the company is collecting and treating household waste in 10 wards and communes in the northern area of the province. During Tet, as waste volume increases sharply, the company arranges manpower to operate continuously, taking only the first day of Tet off; while strengthening field inspections and requiring collection teams to flexibly adjust schedules to avoid waste accumulation.

Environmental service units and waste treatment plants also reported that from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, they increased collection frequency in key areas; mobilized additional manpower and vehicles to ensure no waste backlog or odor generation. Localities also arranged additional public trash bins at flower markets, flower streets and festival areas; while actively conducting communication campaigns and organizing cleanup drives.

The proactive and active coordination among local authorities, enterprises and residents will contribute to ensuring environmental hygiene, creating a civilized and safe spring atmosphere.

By Hoang Loc - Translated by Diec Quyen, Thu Ha