Hanoi, Vietnam's plastic ban is here
On July 10, the Hanoi People's Assembly passed a resolution on plastic reduction measures to implement the Capital Law, while encouraging waste recycling activities.
The resolution aims to limit and eventually stop the use of disposable plastic products and difficult-to-biodegrade plastic packaging in production, commerce and daily life.
Specifically:
In the production field, from January 1, 2028, enterprises using PE and PP plastics to produce packaging must use at least 20% recycled plastic. From January 1, 2030, this proportion will be increased to at least 30%.
Hanoi also requires production factories to gradually reduce the production and import of disposable plastic products, difficult-to-biodegrade plastic packaging, and items containing microplastics.
From January 1, 2031, Hanoi will completely stop the production and import of disposable plastic products, except for products certified by the Vietnam Ecolabel.
In terms of commercial and distribution activities, Hanoi requires that from January 1, 2027, markets and convenience stores will no longer provide difficult-to-biodegrade plastic bags for free.
From January 1, 2028, these institutions will also no longer be allowed to distribute or use single-use plastic products and plastic packaging that is difficult to biodegrade, including plastic bags and polystyrene trays used to wrap or preserve food.
However, these regulations do not apply to products and goods that already use such packaging before the effective date. Online sales platforms must also take measures to reduce the use of plastic packaging and impact-resistant plastic materials. These companies must proactively recycle these types of packaging and materials to prevent them from being scattered into the environment.
The resolution does not exclude the tourism industry. From January 1, 2026, hotels, resorts and tourist attractions will no longer be allowed to use single-use plastic products such as toothbrushes, razors, cotton swabs, shower caps, and single-use plastic packaging containing toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, body lotion and similar products.
In the daily activities of public institutions, organizations and administrative units, the city requires an absolute ban on the use of single-use plastic products and plastic packaging that is difficult to biodegrade, including plastic bags and polystyrene food trays, unless these products are certified with the Vietnam Ecolabel.
From January 1, 2028, it will also be prohibited to use non-biodegradable plastic packaging to hold food or come into direct contact with food to ensure public health safety and protect the environment.
In addition, according to the Capital Security Newspaper, the Hanoi People's Council also passed a resolution to adopt other plastic emission reduction measures: encourage the city's agencies, organizations and individuals to implement the emission reduction measures stipulated in this resolution in advance and adopt the best available technology for plastic waste recycling to enjoy the preferential policies issued by the central government and the city.
At the same time, regular in-depth and effective publicity activities will be carried out to enable agencies, organizations, residential areas, households and individuals to fully understand the city's plastic emission reduction regulations; raise awareness and change the habit of using disposable plastic products, non-biodegradable plastic packaging and products containing microplastics to use environmentally friendly products.
It is estimated that Hanoi generates about 1,427 tons of plastic waste every day, of which more than 60% are disposable items and plastic bags.
Nearly 20% of the collected plastics are recycled by small workshops, mainly concentrated in handicraft villages around Hanoi, mainly PET and HDPE plastics. Low-density polyethylene and other types of plastics are almost all discarded in landfills.
According to a report on the current status of disposable plastic bag consumption in Hanoi supermarkets conducted by the Resource Strategy and Policy Institute and the Hanoi Ministry of Environment in 2021, the consumption of disposable plastic bags in Hanoi supermarkets in 2021 is estimated to be about 5%.
The number of disposable plastic bags distributed by supermarkets is extremely high. In the 48 supermarkets surveyed alone, 104,000 plastic bags are distributed free of charge every day, which is equivalent to about 38 million plastic bags distributed every year. The vast majority of these plastic bags are used only once and then discarded to landfills.
