New Proposal Calls on Hanoi Businesses to Ditch Plastic Bags

A new proposal submitted by Hanoi authorities late last month calls on businesses involved in the production of plastic bags to drastically adjust their output.

According to the proposal, nylon bags, which are particularly difficult to decompose, will ideally see a reduction in usage of 50% by 2020, with the aim of ending their use entirely by 2025, Dan Tri reports.

On June 28, 200 companies in the capital signed a commitment to reduce their levels of plastic waste, much of which is extremely hard to treat.

Hanoi contains a vast array of shopping malls, family-run stores and markets, all of whom use plastic bags due to habit, convenience and the current lack of a viable alternative.

“Every day, the city has been discharging between 5,500 and 6,000 tons of domestic waste, of which plastic accounted for about 10%, or about 60 tons,” Tran Thị Phuong Lan, a spokesperson for the City’s Industry and Commerce Department, told Dan Tri.

Many are calling for a shift to more natural alternatives and biodegradable options. The proposal also asks businesses to create their own self-decomposing alternative bags.

Cities around the world are following a similar trend. Last November, Jakarta announced it will eventually ban single-use plastic bags and is considering introducing an excise tax in order to reduce the frequency of their use. Taiwan also banned plastic items in shops and restaurants in early 2018.

Vietnam is one of the top five countries that contributes to plastic waste pollution in the world, ranked just below China, Indonesia and the Philippines. Hanoi and Saigon alone produce about 80 tons of plastic waste a day.

Urban