The use of plastic bags hasn't changed much, despite the fact that the Law on Environmental Protection has been in effect for around two months.
Demand for plastic bags still high
Under this law, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has been applying a tax of between VND30,000-VND50,000 (USD1.43-USD2.39) per kilo of plastic bags with the exception of environmentally-friendly and packing plastic.
The law was meant to decrease the usage of plastic bags, as well as heighten environmental awareness. Still, their use remains quite widespread. Many small shop-owners have said that customer demand is the same, despite the higher prices.
At major markets in the central city of Danang, including Co, Han and Hoa Khanh, plastic bags are still widely used among both traders and consumers.
Ms. Tien, a small trader at Con market said that she finds it difficult not to use them, as so many of her customers ask for them, even though their cost has increased from between VND15,000 and VND20,000 (USD0.71 – USD0.95) per kilo since Tet. She added that there have not been any viable alternatives offered to replace plastic.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Phuoc, a plastic bag wholesaler based in Con Market said that, even though the prices have gone up from VND20,000 to VND25,000 per kilo, her sales remain strong.
Phuoc emphasised the necessity to produce alternatives if plastic bags are really to be replaced by something else.
She said, "There was one company who offered to sell biodegradable plastic bags, but they have yet to deliver."
She added that it would be difficult in practice to replace plastic because it is so affordable and durable. Shop-owners, she said, might be reluctant to use an alternative for fear that they would not last very long.
Many people, including both traders and consumers, are still unaware of environmental problems that can be caused by plastic bags, she noted.
