Hopefully, the small improvement will motivate Vietnam to address its plastic problem on a policy level.
Since June this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has been using metallic water bottles in meetings and conferences instead of single-use plastic bottles as they had been in the past, Zing reports. According to a representative of the ministry, all departments have reportedly stopped using plastic bottles and nylon bags in everyday uses. Similarly, the World Economic Forum on ASEAN to be hosted in Hanoi will avoid using plastic bottles.
"This change will not only save costs but also save the environment. Currently, there is no policy specifying that citizens have to use metallic bottles or shop using nylon bags, thus finding alternative materials is very important to change everyone's behaviors," said the representative.
Metallic bottle and glass ministry officials use during meetings.
According to a 2017 study by the nonprofit environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy, Vietnam, together with China, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand are the countries that contribute to the majority of plastic that enters the ocean.
[Photos via Zing]
