Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasised the need to take practical and concrete measures to control and reduce plastic waste while launching a national campaign on plastic waste prevention in Hanoi on June 9.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the launching ceremony for the national
campaign on plastic waste prevention in Hanoi on June 9.

As many as 13 million tonnes of plastic trash discharged into oceans each year, it has left negative impacts on the living environment, people’s health and sustainable development of each nation, said PM Phuc.

Therefore, he asked competent ministries, agencies, sectors and localities to outline programmes and plans on phasing out the use of plastic products and work to realise the target of not using single-use plastic products in urban markets, convenience stores and supermarkets by 2021, and nationwide by 2025.

The Government leader particularly mentioned the role of the press in raising public awareness of the issue, saying the communication work should focus on typical programmes and models that contribute to plastic waste reduction such as Green Sunday project in Thua Thien-Hue, “Say no to plastic waste in Hoi An-Cu Lao Cham”, and using natural wrapping in several supermarkets, among others.

Also, PM Phuc ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant ministries and agencies to work together to complete regulations and policies on scaling down the use of single-use plastic products, encouraging the development of environmentally-friendly ones, and promoting the application of advanced technologies for plastic waste recycling. 

Furthermore, rational mechanisms must be mapped out to cut and end the import of scraps and production of plastic bags that are hard to dissolve, he said.

As for the local business community, the PM asked them to improve social corporate responsibility by joining efforts to combat plastic waste. Meanwhile, consumers were requested to carry their own bags for multiple use while shopping.

Following the launching ceremony, PM Phuc, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man, Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha and many officials joined a walk, calling for the public’s involvement in the fight against plastic trash, and visited the “Challenges for Change” photo exhibition.