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Jun 05, 2018 / 23:37

Vietnam launches another fight against plastic

An action month on environmental protection has been launched under the theme “Tackling pollution caused by plastic and nylon” as part of activities to mark the World Environment Day on June 5.

The launch ceremony has been organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) on June 4 in Quy Nhon city in the central province of Binh Dinh. 
 
An action month for the environment has been launched with the theme “Resolving pollution caused by plastic and nylon”
An action month for the environment has been launched with the theme “Resolving pollution caused by plastic and nylon”
The action month has three focuses which are conducting measures to protect natural resources and the environment; preventing natural calamities and adapting to climate change; and treating waste with a focus on plastics.
Ministries, provinces and cities, organisations and enterprises across the country aim to exploit and use water resources effectively, especially inter-national water resources such as the Mekong River.
They will strictly obey regulations related to forest protection and maintaining biodiversity.
They will also collect and treat plastic waste and strictly punish violators in line with Decree 38 issued in 2015 and Circular 36 issued in 2015 by the MONRE.
From now until the end of July, all provinces and cities across the country will conduct a series of actions to respond to the month, including a campaign urging people to reject single-use plastic materials and a drive to clean up channels and ponds. 
According to the report "Plastic Situation" and "Our planet is plagued by pollution" by the United Nations Environment Program in 2018, around the world, every minute 1 million bottles of plastic are purchased, 5 trillion plastic bags are consumed every year. With the current level of consumption, it is predicted that the world will have about 12 billion tons of plastic waste to be buried and disposed to the environment by 2050.
In Vietnam, each household uses about 1 kilogram of plastic bags per month. Users in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City discharge about 80 tons of plastic and plastic waste a day. With its durability in nature, plastic waste and plastic bags pose high pollution risk to the environment.

 
Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Country Director for the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam, made a speech at the event
Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Country Director for the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam, delivers  a speech at the event
At the launching event, Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Country Director for the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam, said: "If we keep going as far as 2030, our oceans own more plastic than fish. The simple act is refusing to use plastic bags and reject things that cannot be reused."
Training courses on environmental protection will be organised. All of the activities aim at encouraging people to break the habit of using plastic products and nylon bags and to stop littering.
Ministries should give instructions to enterprises to check all of their risks related to environmental pollution, and set up plans for improving environmental problems in manufacturing.
Specialised teams on environmental protection should be set up to implement a process for collecting and treating waste.
Ministries should educate enterprises to trade plastic products and nylon bags for recyclable materials instead. 
World Environment Day 2018 is an opportunity for people to affirm their determination, action and change of awareness to prevent and reverse plastic waste and plastic bags towards sustainable production and consumption, contributing to environmental protection for sustainable development.