More effort to effectively combat plastic waste, plastic bags by 2020, vision to 2025 (09:24 29/10/2019)
According to the plan, 100% of units, agencies and organizations under the Municipal People’s Committee will not use non-biodegradable plastic bags and single-use plastic products; and reduce 80% of non-biodegradable plastic bags from November, 2019 on.
It is necessary to change public behavior so as to gradually reduce the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags and single-use plastic products in daily activities and business services from 2020; enhance collection and recycle of plastic waste ; reduce the discharge of plastic waste in the capital city; phasing out facilities producing plastic consumer packaging.
To fulfill the above-mentioned targets, the city’s entities will carry out communication campaigns to raise public awareness on controlling environmental pollution caused by disposable plastic products and non-biodegradable plastic bags by 2020, vision to 2025.
In an effort to reduce disposable plastic products and non-biodegradable plastic bags in daily life, all state administrative agencies, public non-business units and state-owned businesses in the city will roll out a plan to reduce the use of plastic bags and disposable plastic products, especially in meetings and conferences.
Single-use plastic products will be barred at conferences, workshops and other activities of the department’s agencies. The use of plastic straws and cups, drinking bottled water will be halted while environmentally friendly products will be promoted.
Business associations, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels are encouraged to sign commitments on joining the effort to reduce plastic waste via a wide range of practical activities which include saying no to plastic bags and disposable plastic products, strengthening collection, recycle and re-use of plastic bags and disposable plastic products, promoting the use of environmentally friendly products, among others.
Under the plan, the Municipal People’s Committee requested apartment building, residential areas, shopping malls, supermarkets and markets to ink commitments with district/township People’s Committees on reducing the use of plastic bags and disposable plastic products; encourage to shift to environment-friendly alternatives in industrial parks, tourist sites, restaurants, hotels, bus stations, among others.
Hanoi will also study and elaborate regulations to ban establishments manufacturing single-use plastic packaging, and carry out the commitment that by the end of 2020, there will be no more establishments producing plastic packaging in line with the PM’s direction at Official Letter No. 3258/VPCP-KGVX dated April 23, 2019.
Besides, the city will also propose to replace outdated packaging technologies that cause environmental pollution; encourage the use of modern technology in recycling plastic waste; draw a roadmap for businesses to produce and use environmentally friendly bags; complete preferential policies to promote consumption of environmentally friendly packaging products as well as collection, recycle and treatment of plastic waste and plastic bags, among others.