The amount of plastic waste created by humans worldwide is enough to cover four (4) times the Earth's surface area per year according to studies by scientists around the world. 13 million tonnes of plastic are being dumped into the ocean. Abuse and use of plastic goods, in particular hard-to-biodegrade plastic bags, disposable plastic products, have had significant environmental effects and plastic waste. Ocean plastic contamination is a really alarming problem and will cause great damage to the ecological environment in our country.

Recognizing its role in addressing the global plastic waste crisis, Vietnam is a responsible member of the United Nations, committed to strong action to reduce plastic waste to protect the marine and ocean ecology environment. The plastic waste pollution is becoming one of the biggest challenges that many countries are facing. The Prime Minister has just issued Directive 33/CT-TTg on strengthening management, reuse, recycling, treatment and reduction of plastic waste.

Accordingly, the Prime Minister's directive requires Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, organizations, People's Committees of provinces and cities have to issue directives or plans for minimization and classification. collection, reuse, recycling and plastic waste treatment in industries, fields and areas under its management and this issue must be completed by October 30, 2020.

The Prime Minister assigns specific tasks to ministries, agencies and localities to synchronously implement solutions from mechanisms, policies, management institutions, financial resources, and sanctions against the case of violations as well as support and encouragement mechanisms in the implementation of reducing plastic waste, implementing programs that give priority to using recycled products to replace products made from plastic materials. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry of Information and Communication, Vietnam Television and news agencies to focus on promoting propaganda, implementing communication programs, propaganda on reducing plastic waste, classifying, collecting, recycling, and treating plastic waste. Specifically:

Assigning the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) to complete the solid waste management regulation on Environmental Protection Law in the direction of considering waste and plastic waste as natural resources; promote the development of circular economic models; well implement waste reduction and classification at source, collection, reuse, recycling, and treatment of waste (including plastic waste). Develop technical documents guiding waste classification at source. Study and propose a production and consumption restriction mechanism and a roadmap to ban the production and consumption of a number of disposable plastic products. Study and propose mechanisms to encourage and support waste recycling enterprises and facilities to well comply with the law on environmental protection. Promote public-private partnership models, business models, sharing economy and promoting initiatives and participation of associations, organizations, and enterprises to reduce and reuse processing solid waste and plastic waste.

Researching and building up technical environmental barriers to products and goods containing micro-plastic particles, nano-plastic and plastic bags to prevent adverse impacts on human health and ecological environment.  Researching, proposing a roadmap to ban the use of microplastics in the production of cosmetics, apparel, and fertilizers, etc. Issuing environmental technical regulations and standards for recycled plastic products and goods to ensure environmental protection requirements. Reviewing and continuing to improve the legal regulations on eco-labeling for environmentally friendly nylon and plastic products with certain recycled content.

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment coordinates with the Ministry of Industry and Trade in organizing the statistics and classification of plastic materials used in production, consumption and plastic waste; Build a database on plastic use and plastic waste in nationwide; Carry out researches on the current situation, generation trends and plastic waste management. Elaborate and submit to the Prime Minister a scheme on the establishment of a concentrated recycling industrial park in accordance with law to form a recycling industry and market.

Strictly complying with regulations on import of plastic scrap in accordance with the law on environmental protection; Only import plastic scraps as raw materials for the production of products and goods (excluding commercially recycled plastic resins), except for the cases where the project has been approved for investment policy, or is granted the certificate. Investment and operating production facilities are allowed to import scrap plastic for the production of commercial recycled plastic pellets by the end of December 31, 2024. No license is allowed to importing scrap establishments for preliminary purposes, processing, handling and reselling scrap.

The propaganda and communication strategy must be established and executed successfully by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment to raise public consciousness of the minimization, classification, collection, recycling and disposal of plastic waste; to raise people's awareness and practices of reducing and classifying plastic waste; to detect, disseminate and grant environmental awards for models, solutions and initiatives on minimizing, classifying, collecting, recycling and treating plastic waste; to build an electronic portal to share information and knowledge about plastic waste; to research and put the criteria of minimizing, classifying, and collecting plastic waste in the assessment and ranking of the results of environmental protection activities in localities.

Implement socialization, improve the role of communities and enterprises in the minimization, processing, storage, recycling and disposal of plastic waste ; extend benefits and funding for organisations and individuals manufacturing, selling, promoting and using plastic and recycled goods with green labels; create, launch and complete the registration database; strengthen communication, replicate and effectively apply models of minimizing, classifying, and collecting plastic waste and plastic bags in tourist sites, tourist areas, especially in tourist sites and areas. calendar associated with water.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment is responsible for coordinating with socio-political organizations, social organizations, international organizations and enterprises to implement movements and models to combat plastic waste, minimize plastic waste, and classify and plastic waste collection; support and facilitate activities to minimize plastic waste, sort, collect, reuse, recycle, treat plastic waste.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is responsible for researching and submitting to competent authorities the amendments and supplements to the Law on Environmental Protection Tax in the direction of expanding the taxpayers and increasing the tax rate on plastic bags, packages and other plastic products; directing the inspection and examination to prevent actions of tax evasion to protect the environment, especially for plastic bags.

MoF takes primary responsibility and coordinates with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment in investigating and proposing financial policies to support and facilitate practices in the area of plastics waste recycling and plastics waste recycling; encouraging and promoting environmentally sustainable plastic bags, plastics recycling and environmentally friendly products. MoF also research and develop priority criteria or norms to apply public procurement for recycled and environmentally friendly products.

MoF must statistics, synthesize and report to the Prime Minister and submit annual reports on imports of plastic products and plastic scrap to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade directs the implementation of the target on continuing to promote and implement the plan that stores, markets and supermarkets in urban areas do not use disposable plastic products till 2021; The whole country will not use disposable plastic products by 2025. In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade needs to study and promulgate regulations on technical quality standards and regulations, and designing plastic products to ensure that they serve recycling and reuse. The Ministry of Industry and Trade must develop guidelines on production and consumption of sustainable plastic products and issue technical standards and regulations on the quality of recycled plastic and toxic additives in plastic materials.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall organize an evaluation of the existing state of development of the plastics industry and recommend strategies and strategies for the sustainable growth of the plastics industry and return to the Prime Minister for approval by 31 December 2020. Publish domestic and manufactured goods containing microplastics and nano-resins to be known to customers.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) formulates and implements plans to reduce, collect and recycle plastic wastes in the cultivation, husbandry and fisheries sectors; measures to limit the use of foam buoys in the fisheries sector (to float fish cages) are implemented; solutions to recover fishing gears such as nets, buoys that were lost, neglected or discarded at sea (ALDFG) and recovered packages of plant protection drugs and fertilizers are built and implemented; MARD need to prepare raw materials for non-biodegradable plastic bag substitutes and disposable plastic products from agricultural products.

The Ministry of Health is responsible for directing the implementation of plans for sorting and minimizing plastic waste in hospitals and medical establishments; directing and guiding the classification of garbage at hospitals and medical establishments; bringing the content of plastic waste reduction is a criterion for evaluating green, clean and beautiful medical facilities. Ministry of Health have to issue quality standards and hygienic requirements for recycled plastic products for food packaging, bottled water.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) need to develop and implement a plan for waste classification and plastic waste reduction in schools, education and training institutions; MoET also build integrated content into educational activities of waste classification at source for students. The content of waste classification and minimizing plastic waste is a criterion for evaluating a school that is green, clean, beautiful, and safe.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is responsible for promoting innovation, creation, research and technology transfer to produce environmentally friendly materials to replace plastic in production and business such as: plastic materials decompose in seawater, bio-plastic materials, applying cellulose technology, replacing paper-based plastic materials; promote and support scientific and technological research tasks related to the recycling and treatment of plastic waste.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism need to research and provide supplementing standards to minimize the use of disposable plastic products and persistent plastic bags in business, tourist accommodation and service establishments, other tourism services in tourist areas, tourist sites, mass sports facilities, sports training and competition centers, especially in coastal areas, and offer alternatives in the guide the service tourism industry.

The Ministry of Information and Communications, Vietnam Television, Radio Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency take the prime responsibility and coordinate with relevant agencies, organizations and individuals to carry out communication and propaganda programs on plastic waste reduction, sorting, collection, recycling, and treatment of plastic waste.

People's Committees of provinces and cities

Propagating and raising public awareness about minimizing plastic waste, sorting waste and plastic waste; coordinating with socio-political organizations, social organizations to build movement and coalition against plastic waste; mobilize people and communities to limit or not use disposable plastic products (including persistent plastic bags, food plastic packages, plastic bottles, straws, styrofoam containers products, cups and tableware, etc) to protect the environment.

Mobilizing shopping centres, stores, shops, human markets, hotels, restaurants, water shops, visitor centers and factories, industry, leisure establishments, etc to reduce plastic waste, limit the use of disposable plastic goods or replacing them with environmentally friendly products; not offering plastic bags free of charge to consumers or converting from non-biodegradable plastic bags to non-biodegradable plastic bags.

Organizing and implementing technical measures to collect plastic waste on rivers, canals, canals in order to limit plastic waste dumped into the ocean; conducting and socializing activities of collection and treatment of plastic waste in the sea, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds in urban areas and residential areas.

Directing to strengthen the inspection of compliance with environmental protection tax policies and environmental regulations by plastic bag suppliers for local markets and small shops; Strengthening inspection and strictly control trade villages and plastic recycling facilities that fail to meet environmental protection requirements.

Le Mai (theo tongcucthuysan.gov.vn)