HÀ NỘI — The capital city has asked all of its organisations and agencies to refrain from using plastic bags and single-use plastics starting from this month, a city environment official said on Tuesday.

Lưu Thị Thanh Chi, deputy head of Hà Nội Environment Protection Division, told reporters at a press conference that the municipal People’s Committee has approved a plan to reduce plastic waste in the capital.

It was the latest effort by authorities to combat "white pollution" in the city that sees about 80 tonnes of plastic and nylon bags discarded every day, not all of which can be properly collected or treated.

According to Chi, Hà Nội People’s Committee demanded that 100 per cent of the city organisations stop using polyethylene (PE) plastic bags – the most common type but takes the longest time to decompose – and single-use plastics products from November.

The committee also set the goal of reducing the number of plastic items which are hard to recycle and decompose used in those organisations by 80 per cent.

Public servants, meanwhile, were encouraged to convince their family members to not buy single-use plastic items and nylon bags.

“The city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment has signed a plan with the Department of Education this year to roll out a programme to collect, categorise and recycle milk cartons and plastic straws in schools,” Chi said.

The programme was carried out in 637 schools across 16 districts and townships in the city, she added.

According to a 2015 study by the Hà Nội-based Centre for Environment and Community Research, household waste reached 27 million tonnes and sustained an increase of 5 per cent a year. — VNS