Hanoi markets still flooded with plastic waste

IT has been more than a year since the fight against plastic waste was launched on a national scale and despite claims of success by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, VietnamPlus reporters have observed that single-use plastic is still commonly used at markets and supermarkets in Hanoi

Leaving Dai Tu Market, one of the busiest markets in Hoang Mai District, each person carries two to five plastic bags on average.

Along the streets near the market, stall owners put food and drinks into plastic cups, bottles and styrofoam boxes for takeaways. Plastic packages are scattered on the ground next to the stalls.

The reporters witnessed the same situation at other big markets.

Nguyen Thi Hoa, a food seller at Kim Giang Market, said she knew it was necessary to reduce plastic waste to protect health and the environment but customers must bring their own reusable bags so food sellers like her no longer have to give them plastic bags.

“Because plastic is cheap and convenient, the habit of using plastic bags is hard to be changed,” she said.

Nguyen Thuong Hien, deputy head of the Vietnam Environment Administration, admitted that plastic use at markets in Hanoi was still common, adding that the ministry is working on a number of initiatives to make the campaign more practical.