Vietnam to strengthen plastic waste management

On August 20th, 2020, Vietnam legislated the “Directive 33/CT-TTg on strengthening reuse, recycle, treatment and reduction of plastic waste”, setting the policy for promulgating various new regulations or amending existing regulations with the aim of strengthening the management of plastic waste. It mainly covers the management, reuse, recycling, treatment, and reduction of plastic waste as below:

Completion of provisions on solid waste management in the proposed amendments to the Law on Environmental Protection	Treat plastic waste as a resource. Promote the Circular Economy model. Reduce, classify, collect, reuse, recycle and treat waste, including plastics, at the source.
Amendments and supplements to the “Prime Minister’s Decision No. 16/2015/QD-TTg on the collection and treatment of discarded products	Strengthen the responsibilities of producers and importers in the collection and treating of discarded products. Add “packaging” to the list of regulated discarded products to be collected and treated Encourage companies and waste recycling facilities to properly comply with environmental protection requirements. Encourage the development of collaborative models and participation in associations, etc. for the reduction, reuse and recycling of solid waste
Development of national technical standards for products containing plastics	Establish technical standards for products containing microplastics and plastic bags. Establish a roadmap for the prohibition of the use of microplastics in the manufacture of cosmetics, textiles, and fertilizers. Establish technical standards for products containing recycled plastics. Develop regulations for eco-friendly plastic bags and “green labels” for products containing a certain amount of recycled plastic.
Classification of plastics and plastic waste	Establish a database on plastics and plastic waste across the country. Conduct a study on the current status of plastic waste, and trends in the causes of its generation. Prepare a proposal for the establishment of an industrial park specialized for plastic recycling and submit it to the Prime Minister.
Enforcement of regulations on importing scrap	Allow plastic waste to be imported only as a raw material for the manufacture of products. Allow plastic wastes to be imported until December 31, 2024 for approved projects, for the manufacture of recycled plastic pellets. Don’t allow plastic wastes to be imported for the purpose of pre-treatment, treatment or resale.
Amendments and supplements to the “Prime Minister’s Decision No. 73/2014/QD-TTg on the list of wastes permitted for import from overseas for use as production materials”	Re-export or return imported plastic waste that does not meet environmental protection requirements to its origin.
Supplement to the “Prime Minister’s Decision No. 582/QD-TTg on approving the projects to improve the control for environmental pollution due to the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags by 2020	Summarize the implementation Develop regulations to restrict or ban the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags
Proposed measures to implement the “Prime Minister’s Decision No. 491/QD-TTg on approving the national strategy for solid waste management by 2025	Use environmentally friendly packaging materials in all supermarkets and shopping malls as an alternative to disposable or non-biodegradable plastic bags. Restrict or ban the import, manufacture and supply of non-biodegradable plastic bags in supermarkets and shopping malls from 2026.
Implementation of the “Decision No. 1746/QD-BTNMT on the national action plan for marine plastic waste management by 2030”	Construct and operate the international center on marine plastic litter. Establish a database on plastic waste and marine plastic waste. Strengthen international partnerships on plastic waste reduction, classification, collection, recycling and treatment. Define policies and institutions for the problem of plastic waste and marine plastic waste. Promote investment in and technology transfer of advanced technologies for plastic waste recycling and treatment.
Others	Develop a publicity plan to raise awareness about the reduction, classification, collection, recycling and disposal of plastic waste. Encourage organizations and individuals to manufacture, sell and consume green labeled plastic products. Establish a website on plastic waste. Complete a database of applications, declarations and controls for the manufacture and use of products containing plastic waste.

The original of these instructions can be downloaded from the following URL
http://www.monre.gov.vn/VanBan/Pages/ChiTietVanBanChiDao.aspx?pID=2523

Vietnam to strengthen plastic waste management

Prime Minister enacts direction specializing for reuse, recycle, treatment and reduction of plastic waste

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