Vietnam produces 25 million tons of solid waste each year. On average, a Vietnamese household uses one pound of plastic bags per month. International cooperation projects against pollution continue.
Hanoi (AsiaNews) - The United States will support Vietnam in reducing pollution generated by plastic waste, as it has done in the past through projects of the Usaid Agency for International Development.
According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Environment, each year the country produces 25 million tons of solid waste. Those made of plastic, mostly composed of bags, amount to 1.8 million tons and include 30 million nylon bags. It means that on average, a Vietnamese family uses one kilo of plastic bags per month, of which more than 80% are not reused.
The Vietnam Institute of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development explains that the use of single-use plastic bags has increased in recent years: in urban areas of the country, they account for between 10% and 20% of the total solid waste generated by daily human activities.
Plastic waste and nylon bags have directly affected to the quality of human life and human health was well as the survival of other living species," experts said. The problem with plastics relates to their decomposition and disposal as the waste endures in the environment for up to thousands of years.
In a statement last month, USAID made it clear that it is supporting Vietnam "from 2020 to reduce plastic pollution through a network of partners who share this concern."