Vietnam is facing increasingly severe marine environmental pollution. Statistics from the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands showed that the country discharges about 0.28 – 0.73 million tonnes of plastic waste into the sea annually, ranking fourth among those discarding the biggest volumes of this type of waste.
On December 4, 2019, the Prime Minister promulgated a national action plan on ocean plastic waste management until 2030. The plan’s goals include reducing marine plastic waste by 75%; collecting 100% of lost or discarded fishing tools; all coastal tourist areas, accommodation establishments and other tourism services not using single-use plastic products or non-biodegradable bags; and keeping all marine protected areas free of plastic waste by 2030.
Nguyen Van Tai, Director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency, said changing people’s awareness and habit of using single-use plastic products in their daily life, changing the manufacturing and trading of plastic products, as well as changing the practice of releasing waste into the environment remain key solutions.
It is necessary to collect and treat plastic waste in each water body while enhancing localities’ sense of responsibility towards managing the water areas recording plastic waste, he said, highlighting the importance of choosing collection methods suitable for local conditions to ensure that waste is collected thoroughly and effectively.
