Proposal to impose tax on single-use plastic products and nylon bags: Urgent solution to protect the environment:

However, the habit of using these products has not decreased, because the majority of people still only see the convenience but are not fully aware of the harmful effects of disposable plastic products and nylon bags on the environment as well as human health.

The Women's Union of Viet Hung Ward (Long Bien District) gave paper bags to businesses at the traditional market. Photo: Thu Trang

The arduous battle

To minimize the impact of plastic waste on the environment, in recent years, in residential communities, many creative activities and models have been implemented to limit the use of hard-to-decompose plastic bags.

Speaking to reporters of Hanoi Moi Newspaper, Vice President of the Women's Union of Viet Hung Ward (Long Bien District) Le Thi Minh Chau said: "One year, we distributed plastic baskets and cloth bags to households. Another year, we built a movement in which each member folded 5 paper bags to give to businesses at the local market... The models and activities were varied to raise people's awareness and responsibility, limit the use of plastic bags, and reduce plastic waste."

Also actively implementing activities to reduce plastic waste, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Quynh Loi Ward (Hai Ba Trung District) Nguyen Thanh Dung shared: "Over the past 2 years, women of Quynh Loi Ward have made and donated more than 2 million paper bags to business officials and members, especially households selling bread and donuts. In addition, the Youth Union and the Women's Union also launched and donated plastic baskets to encourage people to use baskets to go to the market or exchange plastic bottles and nylon bags for trees and environmentally friendly handbags...".

Obviously, implementing the above activities in residential communities to change the habit of using disposable plastic products and plastic bags of people and small traders with environmentally friendly materials is a correct and necessary policy. However, reality also shows that in some places, when these movements and activities are over, everything goes back to normal.

A Women's Union official confided that activities to reduce the use of plastic bags in the residential area where she lives are implemented in a very formal way, following a movement and only taking place on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5 every year. After each campaign, people return to the habit of using disposable plastic products and plastic bags.

In Plan No. 263/KH-UBND dated November 6, 2023 of the Hanoi People's Committee on implementing the National Action Program on Sustainable Production and Consumption in 2024 in the city, the goal is to continue striving for 60-70% of traditional markets; 100% of supermarkets and shopping centers not to use hard-to-decompose plastic bags; switch to using environmentally friendly packaging products to gradually replace disposable, hard-to-decompose plastic packaging products by the end of 2024.

According to a report by the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, up to now, 140/170 supermarkets and shopping centers in the city have stopped using hard-to-decompose plastic bags and switched to using biodegradable plastic bags.

According to the reporter of Hanoi Moi Newspaper, the implementation of the above goal at some supermarkets is only half-hearted. At Go supermarket located in Savico Megamall Long Bien Commercial Center, biodegradable plastic bags are used to give to customers when packing goods at the checkout counter. However, at each vegetable, root and fruit stall, the supermarket still uses regular plastic bags that are difficult to decompose to package food. At a few stores selling clothes, hats, cosmetics... also stopped providing free plastic bags when buying goods. Instead, if customers want to buy plastic bags to store goods, they will have to pay a fee of 1,000-3,000 VND/bag depending on the size. However, many customers are still willing to pay this cost to store goods.

Double risk behind convenience

Because of their low cost and convenience, non-biodegradable plastic bags are still thriving while companies producing environmentally friendly products are struggling to find a way to develop.

Director of Thien Kim An Joint Stock Company (a company specializing in the production of biodegradable plastic packaging) Nguyen Chau Long shared: “Currently, bringing environmentally friendly products to the market is quite difficult. Many people do not fully understand the importance of replacing regular plastic bags with biodegradable bags. In addition, the relatively large difference in price between the two types of products is a major "bottleneck" for businesses.”

Sharing this view, Director of Phuong Lan Environmentally Friendly Packaging Import-Export Trading Production Company Limited Phan Thi Thuy Phuong said: “The price difference has caused people to not widely use environmentally friendly products. I recommend that the authorities should have preferential policies and guidance, support for manufacturing enterprises and consumers of environmentally friendly products. It is necessary to strictly control the environmental protection tax payment activities of traditional plastic bag manufacturing enterprises”.

Not all people know about products such as biodegradable bags and environmentally friendly bags, not to mention it is not easy to distinguish between the two types of products. This is also the reason why plastic waste is increasing.

Ms. Le Thi Thanh, a vegetable seller at Ngoc Lam market (Long Bien district, Hanoi) said: “I see that there is not much difference between regular plastic bags and biodegradable bags, but the price difference is quite large. If using biodegradable bags, the profit is not much. Therefore, almost 100% of the vendors at the market still use regular plastic bags.”

Faced with the above reality, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thi An, former Director of the Institute of Resources, Environment and Community Development, is concerned that plastic bags not only cause harm to the environment, but also greatly affect human health. During use, this type of product easily releases toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, dioctin phthalate which are extremely dangerous to health, harmful to the brain, lungs, and are the main cause of cancer... When burned, plastic bags will create toxic emissions that pose a high risk of environmental pollution, causing lung and endocrine diseases, reducing immunity, disrupting digestive function and causing birth defects in young children.

To reduce plastic waste, more drastic and effective measures are needed. Experts say that, in addition to propaganda and mobilization to make people aware that using disposable plastic products and plastic bags is not good, not beneficial to the environment, health of themselves and the community, the authorities need to strengthen strict management of the production and consumption of these products. It is possible to impose high taxes on production facilities as well as users of disposable plastic products and plastic bags. This is an effective measure that many countries have been applying.

(To be continued)

The issuance of two resolutions on environmental protection in Hanoi is urgent.

On May 23, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi city held a conference to provide social feedback on two draft resolutions regulating measures to reduce plastic emissions and support and incentive measures for waste recycling activities using the best available techniques in Hanoi (implementing Point D, Clause 2, Article 28 of the Law on the Capital).

Responding at the conference, most opinions highly appreciated and agreed with the urgency of issuing the two resolutions, demonstrating the responsibility of the capital's government as well as the city's autonomy on this issue.

However, delegates also requested that the drafting agency analyze more clearly the characteristics of waste sources and solid waste composition in Hanoi, including plastic waste.

Concluding the conference, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi Nguyen Sy Truong requested the drafting agency to pay special attention to the feasibility and effectiveness of the regulation to completely ban the use of disposable plastic bags immediately because it could cause difficulties for people and businesses. In addition, there should be a clear roadmap, combined with support solutions, encouraging people to use alternative products...

Minh Thuy

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/de-xuat-ap-thue-voi-san-pham-nhua-dung-mot-lan-va-tui-ni-long-giai-phap-cap-thiet-de-bao-ve-moi-truong-bai-2-loay-hoay-tim-giai-phap-703335.html