Change the habit of using plastic bags

Convenience, durability, and low cost are the advantages that make plastic bags a popular item used by people anytime, anywhere, despite warnings about their great harm to the environment and public health.

Change the habit of using plastic bags Using plastic bags to store food at a small retail store on Thanh Yen Street, Quang Thanh Ward ( Thanh Hoa City).

According to research by scientists, plastic bags buried underground take hundreds of years to decompose. In particular, plastic bags contain two substances, PE and PP, which when burned will create carbon dioxide and methane, which are harmful to health. If using plastic bags to store hot food (temperature from 70 - 80 degrees Celsius), the toxic substances in the bag will mix with the food. More dangerously, if storing processed food in colored plastic bags, heavy metals such as lead and cadmium will harm the brain, are the main cause of cancer... And with the sustainable nature, plastic bags are also identified as one of the causes of negative impacts on the economy and society, becoming a major challenge for the environment.

Recognizing the harmful effects of plastic bags on the environment and public health, in recent years, Vietnam has been implementing many mechanisms, strategies, policies and projects to reduce plastic waste and protect the environment, typically the Law on Environmental Protection Tax on plastic bags. The 2020 Law on Environmental Protection also added regulations on reducing, reusing, recycling and treating plastic waste; limiting the use of disposable plastic products and hard-to-decompose plastic bags; encouraging the production of environmentally friendly products to replace traditional plastic products. However, the convenience of plastic bags creates a difficult habit for consumers to break in using them.

Observations at some markets in Thanh Hoa city and rural markets in the province show that many housewives still have the habit of using plastic bags to store goods, and vendors prepare plastic bags to meet customers' needs. Ms. Doan Le Huong - a buyer at Dong Thanh market (Thanh Hoa city), admitted: "Although I know that plastic bags can pollute the environment, when I go to the market to buy a bunch of vegetables or a fish, the vendor always gives me a plastic bag to store it in. I personally find it very convenient, each type of food is stored in a separate bag, limiting odors, and it is easy to hang and hook on a motorbike". Ms. Le Thi Ha in Hoang Giang commune (Hoang Hoa) shared: "Using plastic bags to store goods every time I go to the market has become my habit, even though I know that this will negatively affect my health, my family's health and the living environment".

According to a survey by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment , on average, each Vietnamese household uses more than 200 plastic bags of all kinds per month. In Thanh Hoa, a survey by the relevant authorities shows that the amount of plastic waste generated, including plastic bags, in 2022 in localities in the province is quite large, of which Thanh Hoa City is the highest with a total emission of 54.27 tons/day, equivalent to nearly 19,809 tons/year (accounting for 15.49% of the whole province). Sam Son City ranked second in emissions with a total plastic waste of 20.44 tons/day, equivalent to nearly 7,461 tons/year...

The volume of plastic waste and nylon bags used and discarded is so large, but the management of this waste is still inadequate and difficult. In order to limit the use of products originating from plastic and nylon bags, in recent years, the authorities in the province have proactively coordinated with relevant departments and branches to organize propaganda to the people about the harmful effects of the habit of using nylon bags. Launching a movement to limit the use of disposable plastic products and hard-to-decompose nylon bags in daily life. At the same time, proposing specific practical solutions such as classifying nylon bag waste; calling on units and enterprises managing and exploiting markets, supermarkets, shopping centers, and convenience stores in the province to join hands to reduce the use and gradually not use nylon bags and plastic bags to hold goods for customers. Support women's associations to establish clubs and models to limit the use of plastic bags such as the model "Women's Association to limit the use of plastic bags", "Collecting scrap, exchanging for green"; using plastic baskets to go to the market... however, the results have not been as expected. Plastic bags are still popular in stores, supermarkets, shopping malls and small retail markets.

The harmful effects of plastic bags in life are something that we "know, suffer from, and talk about over and over again", so the policy of gradually limiting the use of environmentally unfriendly products, including plastic bags, is an urgent task today. In order for this policy to be put into practice, state management agencies need to have mechanisms to encourage and support the use of environmentally friendly bags in localities, build a system for collecting and recycling plastic bags, encourage distributors and retailers to participate in the program to reduce the distribution of plastic bags, increase taxes on plastic bag manufacturers, and have strict sanctions for cases of littering plastic bags... And the most important thing is the awareness of each citizen in changing the habit of using plastic bags. Each citizen must show themselves to be a wise consumer to recognize the harmful effects of plastic bags as well as disposable plastic products to protect themselves, their loved ones, their families, and the community.

Article and photos: Phong Sac

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