Many limitations when using paper bags
In 2022, Han Market was selected to pilot the Plastic Waste Reduction Market model. This activity is part of the "Plastic-reducing urban" project funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and the "Reducing ocean plastic waste" project funded by the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through the WWF International in Vietnam. The aim is to reduce the use of plastic bags and single-use plastic products.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, a vendor at Han Market, has been using paper bags in her business for 2 years now. However, paper bags still have many limitations in wrapping goods for tourists. For some items, using paper bags is impossible.
“For dry goods, confectionery, souvenirs, paper bags are very convenient, however, for raw food, fish and meat, rainy weather or storing items heavier than the bag's capacity, it is very difficult to use. Because the bag will easily absorb water, the strap will slip, causing difficulties for both sellers and buyers," Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien shared:
Currently, the Han Market Management Board has built 32 stalls with “Eco-labels”. At the stalls implementing “Eco-labels”, traders will use paper bags to replace plastic bags when selling to customers. At the same time, traders also collect clean plastic bags in the community for reuse.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, a vendor at kiosk 146, Han market said: “Reusable bags and paper bags are more expensive than regular plastic bags. Therefore, the cost for businesses to use paper bags is also very high.”
According to Ms. Lan, paper bags may be more suitable for shopping in supermarkets than traditional markets. Many customers when shopping at Ms. Lan's stall asked for extra plastic bags to take with them even though she had wrapped their goods in paper bags.
Small traders are still cautious about using paper bags.
Mr. Nguyen Trung Thanh, Head of Han Market Management Board, said: “Since switching to using paper bags, the amount of waste from businesses at Han Market (Da Nang City) has decreased by 50% each day. However, the current use of paper bags still has many limitations, making many traders hesitant to invest and shop.”
According to Mr. Thanh, paper bags and cloth bags used in buying and selling and business today are quite expensive, higher than plastic bags. Businesses have to pay extra high costs to serve their trading activities.
To overcome this situation, the Han Market Management Board has persistently promoted and popularized the market model of reducing plastic waste for traders. At the same time, product groups and traders participating in the Eco-Labeling program will enjoy special mechanisms and benefits.
This unit has also hung banners and banners at many points in the market to raise awareness among people to limit the use of plastic bags and switch to using reusable plastic baskets when going to the market. This December, the Han Market Management Board will continue to train businesses in the Han Market on the use of cloth bags and environmentally friendly bags.
