A report from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MoNRE) said there were nearly 6,000 scrap containers held up at major seaports, which not only posed environmental concerns but also hindered port activities.— Photo tienphong.vn

HÀ NỘI — Violations of environmental protection regulations and illegal imports of scrap into Việt Nam must be investigated and strictly punished to avoid being repeated.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc made the instruction at a Cabinet meeting yesterday to review solutions for thousands of imported scrap containers held up at major seaports around the country.

A report from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MoNRE) said there were nearly 6,000 scrap containers held up at major seaports, which not only posed environmental concerns but also hindered port activities.

At the meeting, Cabinet members agreed that scrap imports had become a serious and complex issue. They said the demand for scrap materials such as scrap paper and plastic to make materials was real. However, this was economically advantageous for producers but not beneficial to the environment.

PM Phúc called for an urgent and thorough review and checks of origin of those containers.

He asked the MoNRE and other ministries to come up with recommendations and suggestions from the meeting to better handle the “serious” situation, especially the solutions for the imported scrap. He also asked for enhanced co-operation to stop scrap imported into Việt Nam, not letting the country become a waste dump and affect the environment and people’s life.

The PM assigned the MoNRE to clarify the impact of each waste product, saying it was necessary to have a list of eligible and qualified scrap materials to be imported into Việt Nam. “The MoNRE must inspect the granting of permits in the past time and strictly handle violating officials and enterprises,” Phúc said.

He assigned the Ministry of Transport to co-ordinate with the Ministry of Finance, localities and concerned ministries in destroying and removing waste containers.

The PM emphasised the need to revise all quota-free permits and not to issue new licenses for scrap imports. The Ministry of Industry and Trade also has to re-examine the issue of temporary import for re-export of scrap materials.

After the meeting, the Prime Minister agreed to issue a directive on this issue to clarify responsibilities of related agencies. — VNS