Environmental protection is a key agenda item in building an enhanced new-style rural area in Dong Cuong commune. It has raised local awareness and introduced a number of environmental protection solutions in a timely manner.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front chapters and mass organisations in Dong Cuong regularly promote guidelines from the Party as well as policies and laws on environmental protection, the current situation, and the risks and dangers from environmental pollution to human life among local people.

Every person, household, and community has voluntarily participated in environmental protection efforts, such as periodically cleaning village roads and laneways, clearing sewers, planting trees along roads, sorting household waste and disposing of it correctly, using clean water tanks, digging wells in hygienic spots, greening bare hills and mountains, and preventing soil erosion with economically-viable crops such as acacia, cinnamon, and bodhi trees, etc. Flowers and shady trees have been planted along 14.9 km of the 37.1 km of local roads, or 40.2 percent.

Ninety-five percent of local households have hygienic toilets and access to clean water, 1,106 of 1,228 breeding households have stables to ensure environmental sanitation, or 90.1 percent, while all households have garbage pits. Organic waste is treated on-site by households, while inorganic waste is brought to the commune’s landfill in Trung Tam village for treatment under regulations.

Dong Cuong commune has also established two waste collection teams to collect garbage from households along Provincial Road No 163 and around the Dong Cuong Temple national historic site. It has also invested in tanks to collect plant protection bags.

Hazardous waste, such as medical waste at the commune health station, is collected, classified, and sent to the district health centre for treatment. For most production, business, and service establishments, such as auto repair and gas stations, which are of small scale and located on household premises and do not produce hazardous waste, the Commune People’s Committee has provided guidance on collecting, classifying, storing, and treating waste according to Circular No 36 from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on hazardous waste management.