SEA Games campaign launched to raise environmental awareness

The hashtags #Seagamesnoplastic and #Greensport are part of a campaign launched during the 31st Southeast Asian Games to raise public awareness of environmental protection, according to Games organisers.

The campaign is jointly driven by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Việt Nam Sports Administration.

It is intended to reduce singleuse plastic products and nylon bags at meetings, training venues, matches and other sites for athletes, delegates and journalists, and at the region's biggest sports event.

The 3R rule – reduce, reuse and recycle – has been promoted as part of activities in the campaign.

The media and social networks have been utilised to spread the message of environmental protection through articles.

Notably, special dustbins have been designed and set up at stadiums and gymnasiums. The collected waste will be classified, recycled, and treated according to regulations.

Various souvenirs like key rings and handbooks have been made from recycled materials such as metal, fabric and wood.

The campaign sees the participation of volunteers who collect waste and perform communication tasks at stadiums and sports venues. They are also provided with training, uniforms, documents and tools to help.

Spectators are also guided to collect waste at stadiums and exchange waste for gifts.

Eco-friendly water bottles, bags, boxes, cups, knives, spoons, and forks will replace single-use plastic products during the Games.

In the localities that host the events, there will be buses carrying the message of environmental protection throughout the Games.

The SEA Games 31 themed “For a Stronger South East Asia” will be held in the capital and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23.

It features 40 sports with more than 500 events and is expected to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but was delayed due to the pandemic.

Việt Nam aims to use only environmentally-friendly plastic bags and packaging at shopping malls and supermarkets by 2025, according to a project approved by Deputy Prime Minister Lê Văn Thành.

Other goals include collecting, reusing, recycling and treating 85 per cent of plastic waste; reducing plastic waste dumped in the ocean by half; and 100 per cent of tourism complexes and hotels not using non-biodegradable plastic bags and single-use plastic products by 2025.

The project will gradually cut the production and consumption of non-biodegradable plastic bags and single-use plastic products, while raising awareness of the harmful effects of single-use plastic items on the environment, ecosystem and human health.

It will campaign for producers and distributors of single-use and non-biodegradable plastic products to shift to eco-friendly equivalents. It will also promote the development and application of advanced technology in plastic waste management and manufacturing of environmentally-friendly products.

The project will also build a network of local communicators to instruct people to properly classify, reuse and treat plastic waste and waste at large, and integrate knowledge about single-use and non-biodegradable plastics into school curriculums.

Việt Nam is the world's fourth-largest marine plastic polluter after China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Each year, the country dumps an estimated 300,000–700,000 tonnes of plastic waste into the ocean, accounting for 6 per cent of the world's marine plastics.