How circular waste management can contribute to climate mitigation in tourism destinations
Translating circularity into practice
Terracotta is one example of local stakeholders in Da Lat piloting measures to improve municipal solid waste management and promote more sustainable resource use. The city’s waste stream is predominantly organic, with plastics also accounting for a significant share. This creates an opportunity to move beyond simply collecting and disposing of waste towards waste prevention, waste segregation at source and resource recovery.
The AMUSE project tested different approaches with households, schools and farms, including waste segregation at source and composting. Nine composting models were established with 3 schools, 4 farms, 38 households and a 4-star hotel complex, giving local stakeholders hands-on experience in treating organic waste close to where it is generated. By sorting organic waste at source and treating it appropriately, valuable materials can be recovered and put to productive use, while reducing the amount of mixed waste requiring disposal.
Across six pilot schools, eight “Green House” recyclable waste collection stations were provided. More than 1,500 students and teachers participated in 30 awareness-raising, training and communication activities, embedding practical waste separation and recycling practices into daily school activities.
At Cao Nguyen Hoa Da Lat amusement park, a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) was established to recover and recycle valuable materials. The initiative also created an additional income opportunity for ethnic minority women working at the site through the collection and sale of recyclable materials.
These practical local actions demonstrate how better resource management can contribute to wider environmental and climate goals.
Tourism businesses as climate actors
Tourism businesses play an important role in making tourism more resource-efficient and climate-friendly. Hotels, restaurants and other tourism facilities make daily choices about what they buy, how they use resources and what happens to their waste.
From local pilots to climate action
Da Lat’s experience offers three practical lessons that other tourism destinations can build on.
Towards low-carbon tourism destinations
The experience in Da Lat shows that climate action does not always require large-scale infrastructure. It can begin with practical changes in how resources are used, waste is prevented, and materials are kept in circulation.
For Viet Nam and other rapidly growing tourism destinations in ASEAN, integrating circular waste management into tourism development can therefore become part of a broader pathway towards climate mitigation, resource efficiency and more sustainable local economies. Giving waste a second life goes beyond keeping destinations clean – it can also help make tourism more climate-friendly and future-ready.
Learn more about the AMUSE project on our website: ASEAN Municipal Solid Waste Management Enhancement | GIZ