Vietnam acts strongly to minimize plastic waste
VOV.VN - Environmental pollution from waste, especially plastic waste, is becoming increasingly urgent, seriously threatening the economy and human life, requiring strong global action.
As a responsible member of the United Nations, Vietnam is committed to taking action to reduce plastic waste to protect the environment.
Addressing a recent workshop in Hanoi on regional co-operation to promote a global treaty on plastic pollution, Truong Duc Tri, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Agency of Seas and Islands (VASI) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said the Vietnamese Government always attaches importance to protecting the sea and island environment and addressing issues related to marine biodiversity conservation and marine plastic pollution.
At the workshop, representatives from Vietnam and other countries drafted a cooperation strategy to address plastic pollution and promote a global treaty on plastic pollution.
Under the Master Plan on Plastic Waste Management in Vietnam adopted by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh in 2021, by 2025 Vietnam will use only environmentally friendly packaging at shopping centers and supermarkets and will collect, reuse, recycle and treat 85% of all plastic waste.
Vietnam also intends to mobilize enterprises engaged in producing and distributing disposable plastic products and non-biodegradable plastic bags to switch to environmentally friendly products, and raise public awareness to end the discharge of plastic waste into the sea.
Dr. Pham Duc Thi, a climate change expert, said "All citizens must adapt to climate change and learn how to turn harmful habits into good habits. I hope every citizen understands that protecting the environment means protecting the world. If we don’t protect our natural environment, pollution will adversely affect our health."
Dr. Trang Nguyen, Executive Director of the Vietnam-based NGO WildAct, pointed out "It’s important to minimize the use of plastic and use green materials instead of fossil materials. These are things that contribute to the protection of nature and the environment."
In 2017, Vietnam officially adopted the UN Environment Assembly’s Resolution on Plastic Waste and Ocean Microplastics. At the in Canada in 2018, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc cited Vietnam’s commitments and called for global cooperation in solving the problem of plastic waste at sea.
Vietnam is among the countries that produce significant plastic waste, more than 3 million tons a year. Under the National Action Plan on Ocean Plastic Waste Management until 2030, Vietnam aims to cut ocean plastic waste by 50% by 2025 and 75% by 2030.
