Say no to disposable plastic products and nylon bags

To reduce the environmental impacts of plastic waste, Dong Nai province has recently implemented many solutions and made efforts to reduce plastic waste and nylon bag pollution. However, for this work to be truly effective, it requires changes in consumer habits, support from businesses, and practical support policies from the State.

Most people who go to Bien Hoa market do not bring a bag and each person carries at least 2-4 plastic bags containing vegetables, meat, fish, etc. to take home. Photo: Kim Lieu

Many readers and listeners shared with Dong Nai Weekend Newspaper their opinions related to the above issue and proposed solutions to limit and eventually say no to plastic products and nylon bags.

Many reasons not to give up plastic bags

Although there is more and more information about the harmful effects of plastic bags on the environment and human health, many consumers still keep the habit of using them because of convenience.

Ms. L. (Tran Bien Ward) said: “Every time I go to the market, I often use plastic bags because they are light and easy to carry. Although I know it is not good for the environment, I have not found a more convenient and reasonably priced alternative product.”

Every day when going to the market, Ms. H. (Tam Hiep ward) brings home nearly 10 large and small plastic bags containing various types of food, from meat, fish, shrimp to vegetables, onions, coriander, etc. Ms. H. said that on days when the family has guests and buys a lot of things, the number of bags used also increases.

Reducing the use of plastic bags is one of the important solutions to protect the environment. The solution proposed by many people is to use cloth bags, paper bags, biodegradable plastic bags... In addition, the State needs to have a policy of imposing high taxes or fees on disposable plastic bags.

“Whatever I buy at the market, little or much, the seller puts it all in a bag. I know the harmful effects of bags.
"I use nylon, so I want to minimize its use in daily life. But I really have a lot of difficulty giving up this habit, especially when storing items containing water and household waste," Ms. H. confided.

If each family uses the same number of plastic bags as Ms. H., it is estimated that each week they will throw away dozens of plastic bags of all kinds of trash. Multiplied by a year, the number of plastic bags going to landfills is not small.

When asked about the harmful effects of plastic bags, Ms. T., the owner of a stall at Bien Hoa market, gave a clear and complete answer, but she still "carelessly" used plastic bags to carry goods to give to customers.

“Almost all shoppers do not bring their own bags. If they ask for them, I have to give them to them. If I don’t give them a bag, I’m afraid I’ll lose customers. Besides, many people go to the market by motorbike, so it’s more convenient to use a bag to hang their goods on the motorbike,” Ms. T. confided.

It can be seen that the use of plastic bags has become a long-standing consumer habit. Currently, disposable plastic bags are cheap and convenient, making it difficult for people to change their behavior.

Need to synchronize from policy to habit

In addition to plastic bags, disposable plastic products are also being used quite commonly. Many food and beverage outlets are using plastic containers, plastic bowls, plastic cups, etc. to contain food for on-site consumption or for take-away sale.

To reduce plastic waste and nylon bags, recently, functional agencies, units and localities in the province have implemented many solutions such as: expanding the Waste Classification at Source model, launching the Garbage Exchange for Gifts Movement to encourage people to classify plastic waste at source, contributing to limiting plastic waste in the environment. Strengthening propaganda, education , encouraging organizations and individuals to "say no to nylon bags", switching to using more environmentally friendly products such as: cloth bags, paper bags, bio-bags... However, for environmental protection movements to be truly effective, there needs to be changes in consumer habits, support from businesses and practical support policies from the State.

Use plastic bags to store food

“Some large supermarkets now do not give out free plastic bags. Customers must bring their own bags or buy biodegradable bags. Some places even give away cardboard boxes for customers to put their things in. Stopping the provision of plastic bags initially caused some inconvenience, but this is a necessary measure to create pressure to force consumers to change,” said Ms. Do Khanh Linh (living in Bien Hoa ward).

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhan (Tam Hiep ward) said that more than 10 years ago, when she was still in Hiep Hoa commune (old Bien Hoa city), she participated in the "Going to the market with a basket" movement to limit the use of plastic bags launched by the Commune Women's Union and the women responded quite enthusiastically, but unfortunately it could not be maintained for long.

“If the above movement is combined with the model of markets and neighborhoods without plastic bags, it will be an effective solution. To change the community’s behavior, we need to communicate regularly and not just focus on short-term campaigns,” Ms. Nhan said.

Kim Lieu

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202507/noi-khong-voi-san-pham-nhua-dung-mot-lan-tui-ny-long-2962b37/