Environment

Hanoi cuts down on plastic bags

Retailers and residents in Hanoi are ditching plastic bags in favour of eco-friendly bags, according to the city's Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.
Retailers and residents in Hanoi are ditching plastic bags in favour ofeco-friendly bags, according to the city's Department of NaturalResources and the Environment.

Nguyen Thi KimThanh, director of the Hanoi Environment Protection Fund, said severalcampaigns had been carried out to increase the public’s awareness of theimpact of plastic bags on the environment.

Households, traditional markets, supermarkets and shopping centres areencouraged to use environmentally-friendly bags, the production of whichwill receive considerable policy support.

Otheractivities run by the fund include bicycle rides, idea competitions forplastic bag reduction measures, a ‘No Plastic Bag’ Sunday festival, andrubbish collections in a number of districts and wards throughout thecity.

Additionally, the city is considering levying atax on plastic bags, creating incentives for the promotion andproduction of eco-friendly bags.

According to afive-year survey conducted by the Environment Protection Fund,supermarkets, shopping centres and traditional markets are starting touse polypropylene-fiber bags and paper bags rather than plastic bags.

So far, the fund has raised 1.2 billion VND (57,143USD), offering 90,000 environmentally-friendly bags to residents forfree.

A 2009 Action Plan aims to reduce the use ofplastic bags in Vietnam as part of the country’s efforts to protect theenvironment.

According to the plan, by 2020 thenumber of plastic bags used in supermarkets and shopping centres is tobe reduced by 60 percent compared to 2010, and by 50 percent intraditional markets.

The plan also aims to collect and recycle 50 percent of plastic bags thrown away by 2020.-VNA
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