Managing household waste and plastic waste - A shared responsibility of businesses, communities and each citizen

(laichau.gov.vn) According to the agenda of the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly, this morning (October 28), after the representative of the National Assembly's Supervisory Delegation presented the Report of the National Assembly's Supervisory Delegation "on the implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection since the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 took effect", the National Assembly discussed in the Hall the Report of the Supervisory Delegation and the draft Resolution of the National Assembly on the results of thematic supervision of the above content.

Delegate Hoang Quoc Khanh - Provincial Party Committee member, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Lai Chau province spoke at the discussion at the National Assembly Hall.

Speaking at the discussion in the Hall, delegate Hoang Quoc Khanh - Provincial Party Committee member, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Lai Chau province proposed to promote waste classification at source and plastic waste management. The delegate said that the monitoring report fully reflected the achieved results, clearly pointed out the existence, causes and proposed appropriate recommendations, suitable for practice. However, from the practical basis, the delegate suggested to clarify and focus on solutions in two key contents: Waste classification at source and treatment of household waste from plastic.

The delegate cited Articles 75 and 76 of the Law on Environmental Protection, which clearly stipulate the responsibilities of organizations, households, and individuals in classifying domestic solid waste. However, as of June 30, 2025, only 32/63 localities had implemented household waste classification at different scales. On average, every day, the whole country generates about 69,400 tons of household waste, most of which has not been classified at the source but is still collected, transported, and treated together, mainly by landfill (accounting for nearly 63%), the rest is treated by incineration. Some large cities have piloted classification, but the results are still limited, lacking synchronization between the collection - transportation - treatment stages.

According to the delegate, the main reason is that the organization of law enforcement is not drastic, synchronous, and ineffective; when garbage has been classified at households, it is still collected together, thus not encouraging people to classify garbage; in addition, policies to support and encourage the implementation of waste classification at source are still few, there is a lack of effective pilot models; waste treatment infrastructure and technology do not meet requirements, the need for investment is large, while local funding sources are limited, social mobilization is difficult, state investment is not commensurate, leading to ineffective implementation of legal regulations.

The delegate emphasized: “Waste classification at source is a fundamental solution towards a green lifestyle, saving resources and protecting the environment sustainably; it requires the synchronous participation of the State, businesses and the whole society, especially the self-awareness of each citizen in preserving a Green - Clean - Beautiful - Safe living environment”.

Regarding plastic waste, the delegate said that the current legal system is quite complete, especially after the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 and Decree 08/2022/ND-CP took effect. However, in reality, Vietnam generates millions of tons of plastic waste each year, only about 27% of which is collected and recycled. The habit of using disposable plastic products is still common, the collection and recycling infrastructure is not yet adequate, while the amount of imported plastic scrap remains large.

Delegates proposed that the Government summarize and evaluate the implementation of Decision No. 1316/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on strengthening plastic waste management in the 2021-2025 period, to adjust the roadmap, allocate resources and replicate effective models, and at the same time strongly deploy solutions: Deploy a continuous national communication campaign, integrated with education in schools, retail forces and the community. Strictly implement the extended responsibility of manufacturers and importers to be responsible for their products throughout the entire life cycle, especially products after they become waste. Encourage and incentivize investment in high-quality recycling technology and develop value chains using recycled plastic in the production of construction materials and sustainable packaging. Strengthen the collection and classification system at source, especially in markets, supermarkets and residential areas.

The delegate emphasized: “Managing plastic waste is not only the task of State agencies but also the shared responsibility of businesses, communities and each citizen. Success depends on political determination, strict legal mechanisms and changes in consumer behavior”...

Source: https://laichau.gov.vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/hoat-dong-cua-lanh-dao-tinh/quan-ly-rac-sinh-hoat-va-rac-thai-nhua-trach-nhiem-chung-cua-doanh-nghiep-cong-dong-va-moi-nguoi-dan.html