At the seminar on circular economy for plastics in Hanoi on April 12. (Photo: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn) The seminar formed part of activities within the annual conference of the working group implementing the Vietnam National Plastic Action Partnership, which took place the same day.
In his opening remarks, Le Ngoc Tuan, head of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, stressed that the circular economy has been seen as a solution to plastic pollution.
He also stressed the need to adopt a comprehensive approach, both nationally and globally, to spur the circular economy for plastics, citing cooperation mechanisms between countries and incentives in plastic pollution settlement.
Countries should upgrade their technological infrastructure to encourage businesses and the private sector to embark on long-term investment, the official continued.
The working group reported that the accumulative volume of plastics that is not properly managed in Vietnam is expected to pile up to 3.15 million tonnes in 2030 from 1.53 million tonnes in 2018 according to a normal scenario. This will lead to a significant increase in plastic waste leakage.
If the current pace of waste collection and treatment is maintained, the estimated amount of plastic discharged into the environment each year will rise from about 182,000 tonnes in 2018 to 373,000 tonnes in 2030.
The participants looked into the current situation of plastic waste in Vietnam, and identified key actions that need to be taken. These include raising consumer awareness of sustainable packaging, promoting the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), green financing for recycling projects, and raising localities’ capacity in plastic and solid waste management./.
VNA
