Join hands to prevent plastic waste |=> Published in Bac Giang newspaper

(BGDT) - Environmental pollution from plastic waste is a burning issue. Recently, all levels and sectors in Bac Giang province have paid attention to implementing many solutions, gradually contributing to changing people's awareness and consciousness, joining hands to prevent plastic waste.

Convenient but not beneficial

Plastic is a useful material, appearing in many areas of daily life, contributing to improving and changing many areas of life. However, this is also a material that poses many risks and consequences for the environment and human health when not used and handled properly. Science has proven that a plastic item, depending on the type (such as plastic bottles, straws, nylon bags ...), takes at least 50-100 years, or even 500-1,000 years to decompose.

Bắc Giang, Ngày Môi trường Thế giới, Chung tay phòng, chống rác thải nhựa

Women's Union members of Dong Vuong commune (Yen The) learn about methods to reduce plastic waste at home. Photo: Ngoc Anh.

According to scientists, some organic pollutants that are difficult to decompose in plastic enter the human body through food, through contact, causing the risk of dangerous diseases such as: Cancer, hepatitis, allergies, nervous system disorders, infertility... Microplastic particles can penetrate and destroy cells in the bodies of organisms in freshwater and marine environments. They can be intermediate substances that accumulate dangerous chemicals, when eaten by animals, they will be poisoned, and these toxins will be transferred to humans when they eat those animals. Plastic waste also negatively impacts marine ecology, causing climate change...

In recent years, in Bac Giang, the rapid industrialization and urbanization process has promoted socio-economic development, but along with that, the province also faces many environmental challenges due to the increasing amount of waste (including plastic waste), while the waste treatment infrastructure has not kept up; people's awareness and consciousness about plastic waste is still limited. The abuse of daily plastic waste is common: Plastic waste is thrown into household trash bins, followed by garbage trucks to landfills or incinerators; littered in public places... On average, the whole province generates more than 930 tons of waste every day, including plastic waste. Currently, plastic waste treatment in the area is still carried out by burning and burying, which poses a high risk of environmental pollution.

Many practical activities

Mr. Vu Van Tuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) informed: “Bac Giang identifies environmental protection as an important issue to ensure the sustainable development of the province. The province's viewpoint and development motto is not to trade the environment for the economy . Accordingly, the content of environmental protection has been incorporated into the policies and guidelines on socio-economic development in the area. Environmental incident prevention work has been focused on and shifted from passively solving and overcoming to proactively preventing, controlling and stopping pollution…”.

A bag recycled from plastic waste collected by Tokyolife store staff.

With the above viewpoint, in recent times, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee have issued many documents, regulations, and support for waste collection and treatment in general and plastic waste reduction in particular. Waste collection and treatment have had many positive changes. Many remaining waste points have been eliminated. The rate of waste collected in the whole province reached 94.4%, equivalent to 880.97 tons/day; the rate of collection and treatment reached 93.1%. The project to propagate, mobilize, and guide women's union members to collect, classify, and dump household waste has been widely implemented by all levels of women's unions in the province, contributing to changing the awareness and consciousness of a part of the people, business households, and enterprises.

To limit the amount of plastic bags released into the environment, some supermarkets such as Coopmart and Go! Bac Giang have introduced biodegradable plastic bags. Two stores of the Tokyolife chain in Bac Giang City have limited the use of plastic bags in sales.

Ms. Cao Thi Kieu Trinh, sales manager at Tokyolife store, No. 178 Hoang Van Thu Street (Bac Giang City) said: “To contribute to reducing the harmful effects of plastic waste, for more than 3 years now, Tokyolife stores nationwide have not used plastic bags to hold goods for customers. Customers coming to Tokyolife must bring their own containers when shopping or must pay to buy cloth bags to hold goods. Along with this activity, Tokyolife also implements a program to collect plastic bottles and plastic bags to exchange for gifts (collecting both clean and torn bottles and bags). The collected plastic bags are given to people with disabilities to make reusable plastic bags.”

Notably, some individuals and food businesses have shown interest in using environmentally friendly products to replace plastic bags, such as the “6 eels” store on Nguyen Van Man Street, Tran Phu Ward (Bac Giang City).

Mr. Pham Cong Dat, the shop owner, informed: "Every day, the shop sells several hundred servings. Realizing that using plastic boxes to store food is not safe for health and pollutes the environment, for more than 2 months now, we have switched to using paper boxes. The price of each takeaway portion has therefore increased by 5,000 VND, but fortunately, most customers are happy and satisfied with this change."

Many units and localities in the province have implemented a model of using market baskets, using natural products such as leaves, bamboo baskets... to store food instead of plastic bags; and collecting recyclable plastic waste.

With the determination to minimize and limit the harmful effects of plastic waste, this year's World Environment Day (June 5, 2023), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment chose the theme "Solutions to plastic pollution", focusing on implementing the campaign "Fighting plastic pollution". The purpose is to convey the message of building a sustainable lifestyle, in harmony with nature; rationally using natural resources, biodiversity and adapting to climate change.

In Bac Giang, on June 5, in Nghia Hoa commune (Lang Giang), the Department of Natural Resources and Environment coordinated with the District People's Committee to organize the Provincial Environmental Award Ceremony 2023 for organizations and individuals with outstanding achievements in this work; at the same time, organized a launching ceremony to respond to World Environment Day and Action Month for the Environment 2023.

Tuan Duong

Contribute to a greener environment

(BGDT) - Wishing to contribute a small part to make the environment greener, cleaner, and more beautiful, many individuals in rural areas across the province have actively participated in keeping village roads and alleys clean with many practical and effective tasks. In recognition of these contributions, many individuals were awarded the 2023 Environmental Award by the Chairman of the Bac Giang Provincial People's Committee.

Ensuring environmental hygiene in tourist areas and spots

(BGDT) - The People's Committee of Bac Giang province has just issued a document requesting the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Department of Transport; People's Committees of districts and cities to strengthen guidance and ensure environmental sanitation at tourist areas and spots in order to build a beautiful and impressive image of Bac Giang tourism for visitors.

Women participate in environmental sanitation: Many new ways

(BGDT) - After more than two years of implementation, women's unions at all levels have many new models and methods in implementing the Project to propagate, mobilize, and guide women's union members to collect, classify, and dispose of household waste in accordance with regulations in the province for the period 2021-2025.

Bac Giang, World Environment Day, Join hands to prevent plastic waste

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