A representative of the Department of Environment denied that the amount of plastic waste discharged into the ocean is up to millions of tons, because with a large force of waste bottles and junk, high-quality plastic is “money”.
The above information was stated by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Yen, Deputy Head of the Legal Department, Department of Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), at the Green Economy forum organized by the European Business Association in Vietnam (Eurocham) on November 27.
Having spent many years in the waste management apparatus (including plastic), Mr. Yen affirmed that Vietnam does not have an official statistic, or investigation or survey of the above data. Data on Vietnam’s plastic waste, including the amount discharged into the environment and sea, has previously been published by foreign organizations. In particular, the amount of ocean plastic trash that has been announced ranges from more than 200,000 tons to millions of tons.
Mr. Tran Manh Du’s family (Go Vap district) sorts trash to sell scrap at home, August 5, 2019. Image: Thanh Nguyen
According to Mr. Yen’s analysis, the amount of plastic waste above does not exceed a million tons, because Vietnam’s junk and scrap industry has a history of hundreds of years. High-quality plastic waste, such as plastic bottles, even if they reach the landfill, will still be picked up by the “waste and scrap” force. Because to them, this plastic is “money”.
Therefore, uncollected plastic waste is difficult to recycle. But even with this type, in cities with a high level of consumption like Hanoi, environmental companies will collect and transport waste to the waste factory.
Calculating the amount of trash in general, Hanoi generates about 7,300 tons of trash every day. Of these, two waste incineration power generation plants Thien Y (already in operation) and Seraphin (under trial operation) have a total capacity of more than 6,700 tons per day.
In case plastic waste is discharged into the environment, Mr. Yen said this waste will be kept in the soil, and will only flow into the sea if it leaks into channels such as rivers and streams.
A representative of the Department of Environment emphasized that information about Vietnam’s large amount of ocean plastic trash is “absurd”. There exists a data gap in plastic waste released into the environment because most of this material is recycled in the informal sector. Only about 10-20% of plastic is recycled by businesses such as Duy Tan Recycling and An Phat.
Vietnam’s plastic recycling industry receives more attention with its producer responsibility (EPR) policy. According to the draft EPR decree, manufacturers and importers are responsible for collecting, recycling and processing packaging from this year, with a certain recycling rate. For example, the recycling rate for all types of plastic packaging is at 10-22%.
In fact, the responsibility for collecting and recycling packaging has been guided in Decree 08 of 2022, detailing the Law on Environmental Protection (2020). Accordingly, businesses must carry out their collection and recycling responsibilities from last year, or make financial contributions to the Environmental Protection Fund. However, Mr. Yen said, because the financial plan is easy to implement, many businesses even proactively spend money to contribute. Therefore, this fund currently amounts to thousands of billions of dong, but it is unknown “how to spend it”.
Many speakers at the event said that Vietnam can refer to the EPR implementation experience of some neighboring countries, for example the Philippines. They implemented EPR after Vietnam, but mainly focused on plastic packaging, instead of being ambitious about too many materials. By 2025, the mandatory collection and recycling rate for plastic in the country has reached 50%, aiming for a target of 80% by 2028.
Mr. Erick Contreras, CEO of recycling business BASF Vietnam, said that currently when buying goods in the Philippines, the store owner will not provide plastic bags. Customers can only choose paper bags or no bags. In addition, beverage shops also force people to bring personal bottles and cups.