Quang Ninh seminar looks for solutions to plastic waste
A seminar took place in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh on March 21 to discuss solutions to plastic waste – a major threat to the environment around the globe.
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| The seminar is held in Quang Ninh province on March 21 |
The event was held by the Quang Ninh Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the centre for supporting green development Greenhub.
Participants looked into plastic pollution in the world and Vietnam. They offered recommendations and experience in building plastic waste management models, reducing single-use plastics and turning this type of waste into a resource.
The United Nations predicts that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050. An approximated 1,000 plastic bags are consumed around the world every minute, but only 27 percent of them are processed and recycled. The amount of plastics thrown away annually is enough to circle the Earth four times.
Data shows that Vietnam ranks 17th among 109 countries in terms of plastic pollution with about 1.8 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, including 730,000 tonnes directly released into the environment. The amount of plastics produced and discharged is still increasing.
In Quang Ninh province, 1,136 tonnes of solid waste are released each day with plastic accounting for a majority.
Participants at the seminar warned that if such a large volume of plastic waste is not managed well, it will negatively affect the environment, people’s health, as well as socio-economic activities, including tourism – a big sector in Quang Ninh.
On the sidelines of the seminar, an exhibition on plastic waste and green initiatives were organised to call for ideas to deal with plastic waste.
