Statistics of the World Bank show that Vietnam has become one of the major sources of plastic waste in the world.

An estimated 3.1 million tons of plastic waste is discharged on land each year, and the amount of waste dumped into the oceans is between 0.28 and 0.73 million tons. This fact makes Vietnam one of the major sources of plastic waste in the world, according to a report released by the World Bank (World Bank) today.

The study also predicts that the situation will get worse as urbanization, along with rapid population growth and strong economic development, will lead to a rapidly increasing volume of household waste. “By 2030, in less than 15 years, Vietnam’s waste volume is expected to double from 27 million to 54 million tons,” the report pointed out.

To find out the level of pollution in the environment in Vietnam, a World Bank study was conducted from July 2020 to April 2021 on types of plastic waste leaking into rivers and oceans. , and products on the market may be suitable alternatives. Research including field surveys in riparian and coastal areas shows that plastic waste accounts for the majority of collected waste, in which single-use plastic products (SUPs) account for 62% of the total waste collected. plastic waste (in terms of quantity).

The Analysis reports on plastic waste pollution in Vietnam shows that plastic waste is common in field surveys, accounting for 94% in volume and 71% in weight. In which, the majority is food packaging waste (accounting for 44% in volume), waste related to fisheries 33% and household waste 22%. The Clean Coast Index (CCI), a tool to gauge the relative cleanliness of coastlines, indicates that 71% of coastal locations are extremely dirty.

The survey also found that the 10 most common types of plastic account for more than 81% of all plastic waste, most of which is SUP plastic. Plastic bags and broken pieces from bags, tray food containers and straws are among the top five plastics most commonly found in the environment (38%). Fishing gear is also popular, accounting for about 30% of plastic waste.

The reported solution is to replace the leading polluting plastics, which promotes reusable non-plastic items with the goal of reducing overall plastic waste generation.

Recommendations are made from using restrictions such as limiting the distribution of straws, using SUP products for on-site consumption, plastic spoons and plates from delivery services.

Next, it is proposed to charge consumers when buying non-biodegradable plastic bags (start to build up policy from 2022 – 2023); for takeaway coffee cups (policy proposal from 2025, taking fees and penalties from 2026).

Part of the timeline also proposes to ban the sale and distribution of plastic straws, non-biodegradable plastic bags and food containers.

International experience shows that switching from single-use plastics to reusable products offers more benefits than costs. But the transition is recommended to do in progess to minimize the impact and compensate for the loss incurred by single-use plastic producers.

Plastic from waste is not collected and recycled, causing Vietnam to waste nearly 3 billion USD each year, according to UNDP Representative in Vietnam.At the workshop on solutions to improve the efficiency of solid waste management, towards reducing ocean plastic pollution in Binh Dinh on the morning of July 15, Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, Chief Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) In Vietnam, the amount of plastic waste in Vietnam every day is about 19,000 tons. In some seas, when fishermen pull their nets, one in three fish will have plastic waste.To help Vietnam take advantage of its garbage resources, the Global Environment Facility and the Norwegian Government will sponsor $2 million to launch the project Supporting ocean plastic waste management in the context of post-Covid-19 recovery.

The project consists of two components at the central and local levels, with 6 goals, including increasing the collection of plastic waste from supermarkets and hotels by about 22 tons per year with small supermarkets, 73-220 tons with medium and large supermarkets; establish collection points following the model of a waste bank in large residential areas, with the goal of collecting 20-100 tons of recycled plastic per day. In addition, the project will also support the local community by collecting tools, providing storage and depositing infrastructure; piloting the collection of masks, exploiting the option of converting waste into energy for non-recyclable plastics .In the immediate future, in the next 5 years, the project will deploy a local and pilot component in Binh Dinh province with a cost of about 1.2 million USD. UNDP will establish a material recovery facility to enhance the value of plastic waste and recyclables with the participation of the private sector and informal waste collectors. These facilities are expected to be able to process 2-4 tons of plastic waste per day.

Caitlin Wiesen said: “We will also pilot a waste management model in the seafood industry, which encourages fishermen to bring waste back to shore after each trip. Our joint efforts are expected to collect and prevent about 5 tons of plastic from entering the ocean each month, with the goal of reducing 1,000 tons of trash in the ocean each year.According to Chairman of Binh Dinh province Nguyen Phi Long, the growth of tourism and the development of other aspects of life have led to pressure on plastic waste when Quy Nhon city alone generates nearly 300 tons of waste every day, of which about 70 tons. plastic. He hopes the project will help the province collect plastic for recycling, improve management capacity at all levels, thereby building the image of a green, clean and beautiful tourist destination in the eyes of tourists.

Source: Vnexpress.net

Spending up to 60 million USD, sending a team of specialized personnel back and forth to find the right technology, establishing a network to purchase used bottles… Duy Tan Plastics accepts the difficult path when investing in a recycled plastic factory. That is one way for businesses to help solve the current burning issue of plastic waste.

“Many people believe that the current state of plastic waste is the fault of plastic companies. That is not the case with Duy Tan, because we manufacture household appliances that people have used for decades without breaking. But the situation compelled us to act.”, according to mr. Le Anh, Marketing Director of Duy Tan Plastics Company, mentioned the company’s motivation for investing in a 60 million USD recycled plastic factory in Long An.

This is the first factory in Vietnam to use the “Bottles to Bottles” recycling technology, which involves using old plastic bottles that have been recycled into plastic beads to make new plastic bottles.

According to Mr. Le Anh, Duy Tan’s strategy includes the development of a recycled plastic factory. That is why, many years ago, Mr. Tran Duy Hy, the company’s General Director, purchased land in the plastic industry cluster in Duc Hoa district, Long An province, with an area of up to 65,000 square meters, anticipating the day when the factory would be built.

In three years, the plan was hatched and put into practice. According to Mr. Le Anh, it was a time when members of the project committee worked hard and held meetings on a regular basis to find solutions. Because the recycled plastic factory is not like what Duy Tan used to do. “Whereas producing plastic from imported virgin plastic beads allows each machine to operate independently and the finished product to be sold, producing recycled plastic is much more difficult. To form a homogeneous system, the machines must be linked together. Everything must be meticulously calculated, which necessitates meticulousness and detail. Nonetheless, departments within the company, ranging from engineering, research and development, to purchasing and sales, must collaborate closely.” Mr. Le Anh explained.

The most difficult part was selecting the technology, which Mr. Hy and the Project Manager, Mr. Huynh Ngoc Thach, handled. Mr. Hy and Mr. Thach traveled throughout Europe and even Hong Kong for two years to learn about technology supply factories and recycled plastic factories. There are numerous alternatives to consider. Finally, Duy Tan chose the technology of a supplier in Austria, a country with a developed recycling industry.

The biggest risk, according to Duy Tan, when implementing the project is that the supply and quality of raw materials for the recycling plant will not be guaranteed. For many years, recycling businesses have “cried out” due to inadequate waste sorting and treatment. Nonetheless, it is possible that more businesses will enter the market and share the supply.

“Because we have 33 years of experience in the industry and understand plastic and plastic beads, we decided to invest in the project. Once you’ve decided to do it, don’t look back; no matter how difficult it is. “Up to this point, all difficult problems and risks have been cleared up,” Mr. Le Anh stated.

Duy Tan has established a network of more than 80 qualified agents who purchase, sort, and bale used plastic bottles in order to supply raw materials for the recycling plant. Duy Tan buys processed plastic material by the kilogram, which is equivalent to about 200 bottles, and sells it to dealers at a higher price than the standard “bucket” selling price. The granaries are also suitable for collaboration with Duy Tan because there are more jobs available and they conduct reputable business.

Duy Tan collects 60 tons of used bottles every day in phase 1. When calculated over a year, this amount equates to 20,000 to 22,000 tons, which is a significant amount for the environment. When stages 2 and 3 are completed, the recycled plastic factory will produce approximately 100,000 tons of plastic beads per year and will not only stop at PET plastic as in phase 1, but will also produce PP and HDPE plastic. Many more plastic bottles and other plastic products, such as furniture, wardrobes, and so on, will be collected and recycled at that time, reducing the amount of virgin plastic used to make new products. This entails reducing the amount of oil used and thus helping to protect the environment.

The market is somewhat open because Duy Tan’s customers are willing to use recycled plastic, which is a bright spot and also a driving force for Duy Tan to quickly deploy the project. This is a strategy for businesses to grow sustainably, improve brand reputation, and meet stakeholder commitments. Plastic ingots made from recycled plastic and then used to make bottles are currently more expensive than embryos made from virgin plastic. Customers who have purchased from Duy Tan for many years, such as Nestle and Lavie, have researched and considered their possibilities. Meanwhile, another traditional customer, Unilever Vietnam, has signed a contract in principle, though the recycled plastic factory will only have commercial products in the fourth quarter of this year.

Duy Tan calculated that a first-phase output of 20,000 tons/year would be insignificant in comparison to market demand. Because there is only one customer, the volume of plastic bottles used is many times greater.

Meanwhile, many FMCG enterprises in Vietnam have joined the Vietnam Packaging Recycling Alliance (PRO Vietnam) have set the goal of collecting and recycling all packaging placed on the market by 2030. Duy Tan anticipates that the recycled plastic factory will be the company’s next driving force, accounting for 20-25 percent of total revenue.

That market potential is also one of the motivators for Duy Tan to quickly deploy the project, without looking at the competition or putting too much emphasis on whether or not the State’s support policy remains unchanged for a long time.

Because waiting will be troublesome, and the environment cannot afford to wait any longer. Of course, Duy Tan wants assistance with electricity, taxes, and so on. to increase investment motivation and attract more businesses to the recycling industry The more recycling businesses that exist, the more likely it is that the environment will be “saved.”

“We are doing everything we can to collect and recycle as much plastic waste as possible in order to reduce plastic waste in the environment. Larger issues, such as environmental protection and consumer awareness, necessitate the collaboration of multiple parties. While the rate of plastic use per capita in Vietnam is not the highest in the world, we are one of the countries that discharges the most plastic into the ocean, which is unfortunate,” said Mr. Le Anh.

Additional provisions on EPR are included in the Law on Environmental Protection, which was passed by the National Assembly in November 2020. Businesses will be directly affected when the detailed regulations on EPR go into effect on January 1, 2022, so it’s time for them to prepare for the implementation of EPR in Vietnam.

We invite you to watch a video about the perspectives and shares of some businesses in the packaging industry, which is one of six groups subject to EPR implementation under the new law. The video was created by IUCN and the Legal Department of MONRE as part of the Marplasticcss project, which was funded by Sida and the IUCN-PROVN Strategic Partnership Program.

? See more:

Extended Manufacturer and Importer Responsibility (EPR) is discussed by businesses – Vietnam Packaging Recycling Alliance (provietnam.com.vn)