Hanoi to pilot no use of disposable plastic items in Ring Road 1

To achieve the goal of reducing plastic waste, Hanoi City will pilot the non-use of disposable plastic products at restaurants, eateries, coffee shops and beverage stores located in the Ring Road 1 area, starting from the fourth quarter of 2025.

This is one of the urgent tasks clearly stated by the Prime Minister in Directive No. 20, issued on July 12 to prevent and solve environmental pollution.

According to Lao Dong, in the Ring Road 1 area, some stores have begun to apply measures to reduce the use of single-use plastic.

Vo Thuy Linh - an employee of a milk tea shop in O Cho Dua ward (Hanoi) - said that every day the shop welcomes quite a lot of customers to buy drinks to take away. Previously, the restaurant often used single-use plastic cups and nylon bags, but has recently switched to using environmentally friendly materials such as paper cups and paper bags.

I strongly support limiting the use of plastic at one time, this is a meaningful and civilized model. Currently, the restaurant has applied using paper cups for milk tea, while encouraging customers to enjoy on-site to minimize the use of plastic cups and nylon bags to bring home" - Thuy Linh shared.

However, in reality, the number of stores that completely eliminate disposable plastic products is still not large. In many restaurants, convenience stores, and traditional markets, the use of disposable plastic is still very popular.

At a snack store on La Thanh Street, Ms. Tran Thi Khue - the owner of a traditional sweet soup shop - said that every day the shop has to use from a few dozen to hundreds of plastic cups and nylon bags because the number of online orders is quite large.

"In the coming time, if there is a regulation prohibiting the use of plastic at one time, we fully support it. However, specific instructions from the government are needed, because using plastic has become a habit of many people, so it is not easy to get rid of it immediately" - Ms. Khue said.

Dr. Bui Thi An - former National Assembly Delegate of the 13th tenure, Director of the Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Community Development - commented that plastic and foam are materials that are difficult to decompose, if not thoroughly treated but allowed to remain in the soil for a long time, it will cause serious consequences and environmental pollution. Therefore, banning the use of plastic at once in Ring Road 1 will bring great benefits to the capital's environment as well as public health.

However, she emphasized that for the policy to be truly feasible, there needs to be a specific alternative solution. Currently, there is no complete survey on the cost and quality of single-use plastic replacement products. Meanwhile, the pilot implementation time is approaching, so the survey and assessment must be conducted immediately. If the source of replacement products does not meet the requirements, the city needs to take additional measures and provide timely support to make it easier for people to access, avoiding the situation where regulations are issued but difficult to put into practice.

To quickly put the policy into practice, she proposed that the city issue a clear support mechanism. It is necessary to create conditions for businesses producing environmentally friendly materials through tax and credit policies so that they can maintain and develop.

In addition, it is advisable to support initial selling prices for people, while encouraging points of sale and distribution systems to expand the supply of alternative products to make access more convenient. New materials also need to be improved to ensure convenience, durability, lightness and suitability with consumption habits. Only when people feel comfortable and convenient in the transition process will the policy be effective.