Plastic pieces, thin nylon bags, and single-use products seem small, but accumulate over time, permeate everywhere, leaving serious consequences for land, rivers, seas, and human health. Reducing plastic waste is not the sole responsibility of the environmental sector, but the shared responsibility of the government, businesses, and each citizen. This fight has no immediate destination; it is a long journey, requiring sharp policies, appropriate technology, and new consumer habits.
Author: PV Group - Publication date: November 1, 2025
Plastic pieces, thin nylon bags, and single-use products seem small, but accumulate over time, permeate everywhere, leaving serious consequences for land, rivers, seas, and human health. Reducing plastic waste is not the sole responsibility of the environmental sector, but the shared responsibility of the government, businesses, and each citizen. This fight has no immediate destination; it is a long journey, requiring sharp policies, appropriate technology, and new consumer habits.
In Nghe An, the fight against plastic waste is implemented synchronously from small tasks in each agency and unit to strategic decisions. Not only launching slogans, the province has turned words into concrete actions: Signing a commitment to reduce plastic waste in agencies; including the content in village regulations; mobilizing the community; and implementing many models of waste classification at source to change people's littering habits from the root.
In 2024, the country will generate an average of over 69,400 tons of domestic waste every day, of which about 63% will still be treated by landfill, most of which is unsanitary. Effective from January 1, 2025, the policy of classifying waste at source is considered a fundamental solution but has many shortcomings. Before the merger of provinces, only 34/63 localities implemented source classification of waste on a small scale; 33 localities have not yet issued regulations on classifying domestic solid waste; 59 localities have not yet issued technical and economic norms, 58 localities have not yet had prices for collection, transportation and treatment of domestic waste.
Pilot models in Nam Dan, Quynh Luu districts and Vinh city (old) have shown that: When people are instructed and the community participates, the amount of plastic waste mixed with household waste can be significantly reduced. Supermarkets, shopping malls, and chain stores are gradually paying more attention to replacing plastic bags with environmentally friendly packaging; some businesses boldly invest in alternative products such as paper bags, sugarcane bagasse boxes, bamboo cups, wooden spoons, etc.; universities and colleges also abandon the habit of using disposable cups and plastic items in the canteen.
For many years now, in the meeting rooms of agencies in Nghe An province, plastic water bottles have been replaced by glass bottles. Photo: PV Group
Regarding directive documents, from the central to local levels, many legal documents have been issued, demonstrating political determination: Resolution No. 08-NQ/TU dated March 2, 2022 of the Provincial Party Committee on strengthening leadership in environmental protection work for the period 2022-2030; Plan No. 751/KH-UBND in 2023 to implement Directive 33/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on strengthening management, reuse, recycling, treatment and reduction of plastic waste; and Decision No. 1746/QD-TTg dated December 4, 2019 on the national action plan for ocean plastic waste management by 2030... These documents are not only administrative lists, but also a framework for implementing, controlling and evaluating the effectiveness of waste management.
These movements are also evident in reality: Many agencies use alternative materials for plastic cups such as stainless steel, glass, and ceramic cups and bottles in conferences and seminars; banners and slogans are gradually being replaced by electronic text boards; propaganda activities on the 2020 Environmental Protection Law and guiding documents are organized for civil servants, public employees, organizations, and related individuals. The campaigns "Say no to plastic waste" and the program "Women self-manage the environment" spread throughout the community, laying the foundation for behavioral change.
Many good, creative and effective ways have been implemented synchronously by people and organizations towards the goal of protecting the environment and reducing waste. Photo: Hoai Thu - Hoa Mai
However, the efforts are still not commensurate with the challenges. The rate of sorting household waste at source according to regulations is only about 2%, which warns of the gap between policy and reality. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Tien - Deputy Head of the Department of Environmental Protection of Nghe An province: Awareness and responsibility of a part of the government, businesses and people are still limited; resources mobilized for waste management in general, and plastic waste in particular, have not met the requirements; collection fees from households are too low compared to actual costs; and mobilizing capital from non-state enterprises to invest in treatment systems still has many barriers. Different fees and treatment costs between localities make businesses hesitant to invest in modern technology.
"The Department of Agriculture and Environment is currently advising the Provincial People's Committee to promulgate regulations on economic and technical standards for the collection, transportation and treatment of domestic solid waste. When this price framework is approved, polluters will have to pay according to the amount of waste generated, creating a stable source of funding to maintain the treatment system," Ms. Tien added.
“
On October 28, at the discussion session on the Report of the Supervisory Delegation and the draft Resolution of the National Assembly on the results of the thematic supervision of "the implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection since the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 took effect", delegate Tran Nhat Minh (full-time National Assembly delegate of Nghe An Delegation) pointed out fundamental solutions to bring the policy of waste classification from the source into life. He emphasized the need to ensure a synchronous collection and treatment system, avoiding the situation where sorted waste is still collected together. The decisive factor is to apply the "Polluter Pays" (PAYT) principle through collecting fees based on the volume of waste, creating economic incentives for people to change their habits. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen sanctions and develop an implementation roadmap suitable to the infrastructure and economic conditions of each locality, ensuring that the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 is truly effective.
If community movements are the source of change, economic instruments and legal mechanisms are the key to making change sustainable. Nghe An is moving towards a holistic model where preferential policies, producer responsibility, communication and business initiatives are linked together, creating the foundation for a circular economy.
For the fight against plastic waste to be effective and sustainable, community movements need to be enhanced with economic tools and synchronous policy mechanisms. That means, in parallel with encouraging people to change their habits, the State must apply higher environmental taxes on non-biodegradable plastic products, and at the same time, adjust collection and treatment fees to reflect actual costs. At the same time, businesses producing alternative materials need to be supported with preferential loans, tax reductions or land support, in order to expand the scale and reduce the cost of environmentally friendly products.
The biogas model is replicated in many localities. Photo: Thanh Phuc
Not stopping at management, Nghe An also aims for a further goal: Developing a circular economy. Sharing about the plan in the coming time, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phung Thanh Vinh emphasized that Nghe An will focus on implementing fundamental solutions. First of all, the province will issue and implement a plan to classify domestic solid waste at source, based on the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 and instructions from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. This is considered the "key point" in reducing plastic waste, because only when waste is classified from the beginning will recycling be effective and secondary resources will be fully utilized.
In parallel, the province will develop and implement a Circular Economy Implementation Plan until 2035 according to Decision No. 222/QD-TTg dated January 23, 2025 of the Prime Minister. This is accompanied by investment and upgrading of infrastructure for collection, transportation and treatment of solid waste in a synchronous manner, in accordance with source classification. In fact, the model of the Hoang Gia Quan Waste Treatment Plant in Tan Ky, where a production line for recycled plastic pellets from plastic waste has been installed, is a clear demonstration of this direction.
After nearly 4 years of implementing the Law on Environmental Protection, environmental protection work has had clear changes in all three aspects of institutions, awareness and implementation, contributing significantly to improving Vietnam's position on the global sustainable development map. Vietnam's ranking has made significant progress with a rank of 54/166 countries and territories, up 34 places compared to 2016 and ranked second in the ASEAN region.
The Women's Union of Hoang Mai and Nghi Loc and Do Luong communes launched models of using plastic baskets instead of plastic bags when going to the market. Photo: Mai Hoa
Along with infrastructure, the province will also strengthen propaganda, mobilization, and communication coordination to spread green lifestyles, gradually forming sustainable consumption habits, reducing and completely replacing disposable plastic products. Enterprises are encouraged to participate strongly in the circular chain, promoting the production and consumption of recycled, environmentally friendly products, in line with modern development trends.
To effectively solve the problem of plastic waste, in addition to the leadership role of the management agency, there needs to be synchronous participation of the people and the business community. In that spirit, a number of key solutions will be implemented. First of all, the province will perfect the incentive and incentive mechanism, including tax, land and credit support policies to promote businesses to invest in plastic recycling and reuse technology. Currently, the Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to preside over the consultation on promulgating the Regulation on economic and technical norms for collection, transportation and treatment of domestic solid waste. At that time, the funding will be ensured to be correct and sufficient, and the principle of "polluters must pay costs commensurate with the amount of waste generated" will be implemented.
Products made from green materials such as bamboo, pineapple... are highly appreciated for both design and quality. Photo: Thanh Phuc - Diep Thanh
Next is to strictly implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Accordingly, enterprises that produce and import plastic products and packaging must participate in collecting and recycling in accordance with the law, contributing to reducing the burden on the final processing stage.
Along with that, the province will build a widespread social movement, launching close and practical campaigns such as "Say no to plastic waste", "Green Saturday", "Exchange trash for gifts". These activities not only create a spread in the community but also help form green consumption habits, gradually limiting and eliminating single-use plastic.
“
We believe that, with the joint efforts of the government, businesses and all people, the reduction, recycling and treatment of plastic waste will be clearly effective, contributing to building a green - clean - beautiful Nghe An, with sustainable development.
Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phung Thanh Vinh
“Finally, Nghe An will accompany the community and businesses in green innovation. The province encourages initiatives and start-up models that turn plastic waste into useful construction materials and household items; at the same time, create conditions for businesses to develop recycled, environmentally friendly products in the direction of a circular economy,” affirmed Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Phung Thanh Vinh.
The fight against plastic waste is not a story of a day or a month, but a long-term journey of many generations. And when the government is determined, businesses are pioneers, and people join in, the "plastic scourge" will gradually fade away, giving way to a greener, cleaner, and more sustainable future, a future that each of us has the responsibility to create and enjoy.
“
Vietnam's policies and mechanisms are similar to those of many developed countries, but implementation is still limited. The majority of people's awareness of the environment is not high, it takes a long time to change, even several generations; sanctions for violations are not strong enough and management is still loose. These two factors can only be thoroughly resolved if the State is truly thorough. In the near future, many cases of environmental pollution may be exposed. Hopefully, the media will do a good job of warning, helping people to be aware of the terrible effects of pollution, including plastic pollution, so that they can take timely action before it is too late.
Dr. Phan Cong Ngoc - Institute of Biochemical Technology - Environment, Vinh University
Your comment has been submitted and will be displayed after being approved by the editorial team. The editorial board reserves the right to edit comments to comply with the Newspaper's content regulations.
.jpg)
.png "Kỳ 3: Hành trình đặc biệt của rác thải trong xây dựng nông thôn mới xanh – sạch – đẹp")
