Reducing plastic waste is a sustainable lifestyle

Say no to single-use plastic products-

Women in Ward 7 (Tuy Hoa City) use mesh bags recycled from old fishing nets to go to the market. Photo: ANH NGOC

Phu Yen has a long coastline with many lagoons, bays, and beautiful beaches, making it an attractive destination for tourists. However, the province is also facing and encountering a number of environmental challenges, especially plastic waste, which is causing pollution at a rapid rate.

According to the Green Hub, research results show that on average, each Vietnamese household uses about 1kg of plastic bags per month, more than 80% of which are discarded after a single use. The overuse of plastic products, especially hard-to-decompose plastic bags and single-use plastic products, has serious consequences for the environment. Plastic pollution, especially ocean plastic pollution, causes huge damage to the ecological environment.

Faced with this situation, Phu Yen has implemented many solutions to both develop the economy and strengthen environmental protection and nature conservation. The province has also introduced waste management policies to build a sustainable economy in the future.

Many projects and models for environmental improvement have been implemented and are bringing about practical results. Environmental issues in Phu Yen such as air, surface water, groundwater, waste, etc. are basically well managed and controlled. The urban environment and rural appearance in the province are increasingly improving.

Mr. Truong Xuan Doan, a civil servant in charge of the field of Land - Construction - Urban - Environment in Hoa Hiep Nam Ward (Dong Hoa Town) said: In recent times, the locality has regularly promoted to create positive changes from awareness to action of each cadre, civil servant, public employee and citizen in environmental protection activities. Associations and unions have approached many residential areas and households to mobilize and guide them to classify and treat waste at home, dispose of waste in the right place and commit to not littering.

The locality also strengthened measures to thoroughly handle household waste, focused on solutions to reduce plastic waste, launched a campaign to clean up beaches and polluted areas, and planted and cared for trees and flowers to create a green - clean - beautiful landscape and environment in public places.

Dong Hoa Town Youth Union members participate in collecting and processing waste to clean up Vung Ro Bay. Photo: ANH NGOC

Environmental protection work, especially the anti-plastic waste movement, is currently being responded to by many localities, associations, unions and people. Ms. Tran Thi Binh, Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union, shared: Women are one of the forces that play a very important role in environmental protection work. Many models have been implemented by the Women's Union at all levels with positive results such as: Women say no to plastic bags, Traditional markets reduce plastic waste, Women use environmentally friendly products, Exchange plastic waste for biological detergents... The Provincial Women's Union continues to accompany and participate in environmental protection, contributing to building Phu Yen into a green - clean - beautiful, environmentally friendly destination.

Join hands to act for the environment

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Phu Yen is implementing a plan to reduce the use of non-degradable plastic bags and single-use plastic products in the province in the period of 2024-2030. The purpose is to raise awareness and responsibility of each agency, unit, locality, enterprise, production and business establishment, and residential community about the current situation and impact of environmental pollution caused by plastic waste, especially single-use plastic products and non-degradable plastic bags...

Mr. Huynh Huy Viet, Head of the General Department - Environmental Impact Assessment, Department of Environmental Protection and Seas and Islands (Department of Agriculture and Environment) said: Environmental protection is a common responsibility of the whole society. Therefore, all levels, sectors, localities and people need to join hands in the environmental protection effort to make Phu Yen a green - clean - beautiful, environmentally friendly destination.

The goal is that by the end of 2025, 100% of cadres, civil servants and public employees of agencies and units in the political system in Phu Yen will maintain measures to reduce the use of disposable plastic products and non-degradable plastic bags. 100% of employees and workers in organizations, enterprises, production and business establishments and services will be informed about the harmful effects of disposable plastic products and non-degradable plastic bags. 100% of households in the province will understand and have knowledge to protect the living environment and adapt to climate change, including solutions to classify and recycle biodegradable waste at the source, the harmful effects of disposable plastic products and non-degradable plastic bags.

With the above plan and goals, the province is implementing many projects and models to reduce the use of plastic, including the Phu Yen Zero Waste Project. Zero waste practice is the thorough application of measures to prevent and minimize the amount of waste that must be buried or burned. The steps to implement zero waste practice are arranged in order of priority as refuse, redesign, reduce, reuse, recover, recycle and manage remaining waste.

This project is implemented by GreenHub in collaboration with Pacific Environment Vietnam (PE - Vietnam) in the province, including the work package Reducing plastic waste through zero waste practices. The goal of this work package is to reduce and gradually eliminate single-use plastics by developing viable alternatives and forming a supporting policy framework.

Ms. Nguyen Bao Han, coordinator of GreenHub informed: The work package Reducing plastic waste through zero waste practices aims to implement waste reduction practices and propose appropriate solutions to reduce waste, especially plastic waste, contributing to supporting Phu Yen in implementing good waste management. This work package has 4 components, up to now, the implementation of components as well as plastic waste reduction models in the province has been effective, spreading widely in the community...

The goal by the end of 2030 is that the local community must basically classify and reduce waste at source through recycling and reusing waste after classification and proactively refuse to use disposable plastic items and hard-to-decompose plastic bags in consumption, production and business.

Mr. Huynh Huy Viet, Head of General Department - Environmental Impact Assessment , Department of Environmental Protection and Sea and Islands

Ms. Quach Thi Xuan, representative of PE - Vietnam shared: Zero waste practice is a sustainable lifestyle that aims to conserve all resources by responsibly producing, consuming, reusing and recovering products, packaging and materials without burning and not releasing them into the soil, water, air, threatening the environment and human health. Zero waste means there is no such thing as waste because everything can become resources if we know how to classify and process it properly. Zero waste practice is initiated, supported, developed and has become a modern, sustainable trend of many individuals, organizations and communities around the world.

This is considered as one of the activities to push back the waste crisis, contributing to solving environmental problems and climate change. Zero waste practice guides people to change their lifestyle and actions to form a natural cycle in a sustainable direction.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/tin-noi-bat/202504/giam-thieu-rac-thai-nhua-la-loi-song-ben-vung-6df0e93/