According to the data of Vietnam's Ministry of natural resources and environment, Vietnam produces 1.8 million tons of plastic waste every year, accounting for 12% of the total solid waste. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, an average of 80 tons of plastic waste are produced every day, which has a serious impact on the local environment.
Since 2019, Vietnam has launched a nationwide campaign to limit plastic waste. In order to improve people's awareness of environmental protection, Vietnam has carried out characteristic activities in many places. Ho Chi Minh City has also launched the "plastic waste for rice" program. Citizens can exchange plastic waste for rice of the same weight, with a maximum of 10 kilograms of rice per person.
Vietnam passed the "plan to strengthen plastic waste management" in July 2021, striving to use degradable environmental protection bags in all shopping centers and supermarkets by 2025, and all scenic spots, hotels and restaurants will no longer use non degradable plastic bags and plastic products. In order to achieve this goal, Vietnam plans to encourage people to bring their own toiletries and tableware, and set a transition period to replace disposable plastic products. The hotel can charge a certain fee for customers who really need them, so as to remind environmental protection and restrict the use of plastic products.
Vietnam has also made use of the advantages of agricultural resources to develop and promote environmental protection products that replace plastic products. An enterprise in Qinghua Province, relying on local high-quality bamboo resources and R & D technology, produces bamboo straws that do not expand and crack in cold and hot environments, and receives more than 100000 orders from milk tea shops and cafes every month. Vietnam has also launched a "green Vietnam action plan" in restaurants, shopping malls, cinemas and schools across the country, saying "no" to plastic straws. According to Vietnamese media reports, as bamboo and paper straw are increasingly accepted and used by the general public, 676 tons of plastic waste can be reduced every year.
In addition to bamboo, cassava, sugarcane, corn, and even the leaves and stems of plants are also used as raw materials to replace plastic products. At present, 140 of the more than 170 supermarkets in Hanoi have switched to degradable cassava powder food bags. Some restaurants and snack bars also use bagasse plates and lunch boxes. In order to encourage citizens to use corn flour food bags, Ho Chi Minh City distributed 5 million free of charge within three days, which is equivalent to reducing 80 tons of plastic waste. Since 2019, the Ho Chi Minh City commercial cooperative alliance has launched enterprises and vegetable farmers to wrap vegetables with fresh banana leaves, which has been promoted nationwide. "This fully makes the best use of everything and is a good way to protect the environment with action," Hu Jinchai, a resident of Hanoi, told our reporter
