Solid waste collection system in tourism destination – the status, problems and challenges

Solid waste collection system (SWCS) plays an extremely important role in solid waste management system (SWMS). Optimization on SWCS have always been a primary mission of SWM towards sustainability. Hoi An city (HAC) is a tourist attraction in the central of Vietnam with omnipresence of tourism activities especially in tourism destination (TD). As a result, optimization of SWCS towards sustainability is crucial for TD of HAC. This study aimed to offer understandings on the current SWCS. This study was conducted with GPS (Global Positioning System) logger and QGIS 3.4 to collect and analyze data of existing SWCS. Results showed that, four modes of transportation were used for solid waste collection activities (SWCA) with almost all of sources of WG in the morning. Largest figures for total number of route (29) and amount of waste collected by carts (19.6m³) were illustrated in the morning shift (MS). Illegal solid waste collection (SWC) accounted for about 10 % of total amount of waste collected by carts. Forklift trucks were the final disposal of all SWCA in TD. Current waste gathering (WG) practices indirectly damaged the tourism activities while the improper implementation of selective waste collection at source hindered the efficiency of SWCS in TD. This study made a contribution as a scientific base for optimization and administration of SWCS.