Rapid economic growth, urbanization and changing lifestyles in Viet Nam have led to a plastic pollution crisis. An estimated 3.1 million metric tons of plastic waste are discharged on land in the country annually, and at least 10% of this mismanaged waste leaks into the waterway, making Viet Nam one of the top five plastic polluters of the world’s oceans. The volume of leakage could more than double by 2030 under the business-as-usual scenario.
Building on the report Vietnam: Plastic Pollution Diagnostics, the World Bank proposes a policy roadmap to reduce the usage of the most common single-use plastic (SUP) items. It summarizes a broad range of policies for eliminating SUPs that include restricting the distribution of SUPs, charging fees when SUPs are used and banning certain SUPs.
To avoid disruptive economic impacts, the roadmap recommends reducing SUPs in phases, which begin with restrictions and fees, and then gradually progress toward total bans. It also proposes the coordination mechanism among relevant stakeholders, which is key to effective implementation of policy interventions.