Vietnam: Need to turn plastic waste into value soon

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges facing countries. Every year, the amount of plastic waste produced by humans on a global scale covers four times the surface of the earth, of which 13 million tons of plastic waste are dumped into the ocean. The overuse of plastic products, especially non-biodegradable plastic bags and disposable plastic products, has been causing serious consequences for the environment. The problem of plastic pollution, especially ocean plastic pollution, is really alarming, has been and will cause great damage to the ecological environment.

Recently, the British Statistical Association decided to choose 90.5% – the amount of plastic waste globally that is not recycled – as the number for 2018. This means 5.7 billion tons of plastic waste accumulated. for more than 60 years is still floating in the oceans, rivers, or buried (78.5%). If habits are not changed, by 2050, people will have to live with 12 billion tons of plastic waste. Most single-use plastic products and plastic bags are used only once after production, equivalent to about 80-120 billion USD per year. It is estimated that recycling 1 ton of plastic will save 3.8 barrels of crude oil; Currently, the annual recycling rate of waste in the US is over 30% (about 90 million tons/year), if the recycling rate reaches 75%, it will be equivalent to reducing the emissions of 55 million cars. on the road, while creating 1.5 million new jobs.

Many countries around the world have taken specific actions to reduce and ban the use of some environmentally unfriendly plastic products and at the same time increase recycling and reuse of plastic waste. Together with that effort, Vietnam actively proposes initiatives and participates in global and regional cooperation mechanisms to tackle plastic waste. At the National Launching Ceremony to respond to the movement against plastic waste, the Prime Minister set a goal to strive for 2021 for shops, markets, and supermarkets in urban areas to not use single-use plastics; By 2025, the whole country will not use single-use plastic.

In Vietnam, the number of plastic products used is increasing, posing a serious threat to the environment of land, water, air, and ocean. Without synchronous and timely solutions, the negative effects of plastic waste will cause serious and unpredictable consequences. Meanwhile, despite its great potential, Vietnam’s plastic recycling industry is still limited, unable to meet demand. To improve efficiency and develop plastic recycling activities in Vietnam, it is necessary to synchronously implement legal, economic, and public awareness solutions, change consumption and waste habits. plastic waste, especially policies to support businesses involved in plastic recycling.

Global plastic recycling market

Many countries around the world have achieved some achievements in research on recycling plastic waste and successfully applied it to practice, solving the challenges of solid waste management, especially plastic waste. Measures to utilize and recycle plastic waste not only bring economic value but also have environmental meaning – sustainable development – a goal that every country aspires to. Recycling will reduce the amount of plastic waste that needs to be handled, reduce pressure on virgin plastic materials, reduce energy and water consumption, and reduce emissions of harmful gases and chemicals in the production process. Producing raw materials…

It is estimated that recycling 1 ton of plastic will save 3.8 barrels of crude oil, generating significant economic-environmental benefits. Globally, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. In the US alone, the recycling rate of plastic bottles is only about 30%, in the UK from 20 to 45%.

Currently, Europe is at the forefront of waste treatment solutions. Norway is currently a leading country in the movement of recycling plastic waste, with 97% of plastic bottles recycled. A single plastic bottle in Norway can undergo more than 50 recycling times. In 1991, Sweden was one of the first countries to levy a tax on fossil energy sources. After many years at the forefront of recycling, Sweden now even has to import waste from other countries so that domestic recycling plants can continue to operate. In the United States, the waste industry is worth up to $70 billion. In China, with rapid urbanization also promoting recycling, revenue from the solid waste recycling industry grew at an annual rate of 13.5 percent, estimated at $16.2 billion for the five-year-period up to 2018.

Many countries around the world have made some achievements in the research on recycling plastic waste and successfully applied it to practice, solving the challenges of solid waste management, especially plastic waste. Measures to utilize and recycle plastic waste not only bring economic value but also have meaning in terms of sustainable development, a goal that every country is aiming for.

CURRENT STATUS OF PLASTIC CONSUMPTION IN VIETNAM

Plastic consumption in Vietnam

According to data from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the amount of plastic waste and plastic bags in Vietnam is currently very high, accounting for about 8 – 12% of domestic solid waste, approximately 2.5 million tons/year. first]. For plastic bags alone, it is estimated that on average, each Vietnamese household uses 223 plastic bags/month, equivalent to 1kg of plastic bags/household/month. It is estimated that each year, Vietnam uses and disposes of more than 30 billion plastic bags into the environment.

If calculating the plastic product index per capita, by 2015 it was over 41 kg/person/year, while this index in 1990 was 3.8 kg/person/year. According to statistics of the Vietnam Plastics Association, in 2017, Vietnam’s plastic industry consumed about 5.9 million tons of primary plastic materials, equivalent to the per capita plastic consumption rate at 63 kg/person/year [3]. Thus, Vietnam’s per capita plastic consumption rate grows at an average of 10.6% per year.

In the structure of primary plastic materials consumed by Vietnam’s plastic industry, the packaging plastic segment accounts for the largest proportion, the total volume of primary plastic materials consumed in 2017 is 5.89 million tons, of which packaging plastic is consumed by consumers. about 2.1 million tons, accounting for 36%.

 

Output products of the plastic bottle packaging segment are divided into 04 main groups, including thin-film packaging, complex film packaging, PET bottles, and PET bottles. Packaging consumption markets are mainly food and beverage production and processing enterprises, fast-moving consumer goods enterprises, retail businesses (distribution to supermarkets, trade centers, etc.) shops, traditional markets…).

According to data from the Vietnam Plastics Association, the number of businesses operating in the plastic packaging segment is 1,353, of which the thin packaging segment mainly focuses on small businesses and households. in the complex film packaging segment, accounting for 41.7% market share.

With the characteristics of cheap and convenient production cost, holding anything possible, plastic bags and disposable plastic products have become popular items in production, business, and daily life. activities of people, especially at large supermarkets, trade centers, traditional markets… However, there is currently no official figure on plastic bag waste and plastic products in consumer distribution activities…

Potential for plastic recycling market in Vietnam

In Vietnam, the source of plastic scrap is nearly 18,000 tons/day, the scrap price is very low. Therefore, plastic beads recycled from household plastic waste cost much less than virgin plastic beads. According to statistics, export turnover of plastic products increased by an average of 20% per year.

This shows that the potential for the development of the recycled plastic industry is great, and the business of recycling plastic waste also brings many benefits. For example, saving energy for primary plastic production, helping to save the non-renewable resource that is petroleum; solve a series of environmental problems such as loss of urban beauty, clogged drains, land degradation…

According to the Vietnam Plastics Association, if recycled plastic materials can be used at 35-50%/year, businesses can reduce production costs by more than 15%. Meanwhile, according to the City Waste Recycling Fund. In Ho Chi Minh City, plastic waste accounts for a high proportion, only after food waste in urban solid waste.

Industries such as cement, iron, and steel, and electricity are consuming a huge amount of coal. Non-recyclable plastic waste can be used as input materials for factories by co-processing. From there, factories will reduce coal consumption by recovering energy from burning non-recyclable plastic waste. Energy efficiency will be much higher than conventional waste-to-energy plants.

However, the number of plastic waste treatment plants in Vietnam is too small, leading to the current waste of “junk resources”. With more than 90 million people, each year the amount of waste increases by 10%, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of tons of wasted waste. Currently, Vietnam still has to import up to 80% of raw materials for production, the total amount of plastic scrap purchased is only about 10% of the total plastic waste stored each year, which is released into the environment.

Looking from another angle, many businesses believe that the prejudice of local leaders towards investment in this field and the negative reaction from the community due to the overall impact on the people’s quality of life is the biggest obstacle for the investment plan of a plastic recycling plant in Vietnam.

SOLUTIONS TO PROMOTE PLASTIC RECYCLE MARKET IN VIETNAM

In fact, in Vietnam, the number of Vietnamese waste treatment companies is too small, leading to the current waste of “junk resources”. With more than 90 million people, every year the amount of waste increases by 10%, which means hundreds of thousands of tons of waste is wasted. If this amount of waste is recycled and reused, Vietnam can save a significant amount of resources.

The government is constantly encouraging businesses operating in the plastic industry in Vietnam to invest more in technology to recycle plastic waste. This can help limit the import of scrap and handle domestic plastic waste well because even though the plastic industry grows by 15% – 20% per year, our country still has to import 80% of raw materials for processing. production in this industry.

To explain this fact, environmental experts say that there are two main reasons. One is because the implementation of waste separation at source has not been implemented synchronously and effectively. Second, there are no necessary and appropriate investment incentives for businesses to boldly invest in this field.

To promote Vietnam’s plastic recycling market, the following solutions should be considered:

First, efficient implementation of classification at source

Showing the determination to introduce models and applications of science and technology to handle the current situation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has made many positive actions. However, according to representatives of many businesses, investing in technology to recycle waste is not a difficult problem, but currently, the waste recycling industry is still backward and fragmented because of barriers. local leaders when investing in this field.

The potential for development of the waste recycling industry in Vietnam is great, but according to Assoc.Prof.Dr. Phung Chi Sy, it is important that relevant authorities need to effectively implement waste separation activities at the source. If we want to recycle and develop the recycling industry to limit plastic waste into the environment and bring waste back to life, we must do a good job of sorting waste at the source. This is the most important step. However, currently in our country, plastic scrap is mostly mixed with domestic waste and treated by landfilling. A few are collected from bottle-tipping activities, but not much.

Second, encourage businesses to invest in recycling

Since 2016, TP. Ho Chi Minh City has had a direction to convert waste treatment into incineration to generate electricity. However, according to the recommendations of experts, if there is no policy to encourage and classify recyclable waste, the conversion will also face many difficulties for investors. On the other hand, the percentage of recyclable waste that is utilized will not be high. According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City. In Ho Chi Minh City, with the analysis of the density and composition of solid waste, it can be seen that burning a mixture of domestic solid waste to generate heat and generate energy does not bring economic value, unless the substances are higher calorific value and lower moisture content, such as components of plastic, wood, fabric, paper, rubber, leather, diapers, etc., are separated for burning.

From another angle, many businesses believe that investing in technology to recycle waste is not a difficult problem, but the current barrier is the prejudice of local leaders towards investment in this field. Currently, localities have refused to grant investment licenses to the waste treatment industry. Few businesses operate in the city. Ho Chi Minh City is licensed by the Department of Natural Resources – Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, but has to operate on a very limited scale. Most of the waste recycling facilities operate outside the export processing zones and industrial zones, mostly concentrated in the periphery. The above facilities also do not have enough financial capacity to renovate and renew the recycling process to meet the actual waste generation trend. On the other hand, it is also facing a negative reaction from the community due to its overall impact on people’s quality of life.

Not stopping there, investment incentives from the Government and related ministries must be thoroughly implemented by localities, combined with post-inspection work. This is the basis for accelerating the progress of socializing investment in waste receiving and treatment infrastructure in general, step by step meeting the increasing waste treatment needs of enterprises at reasonable prices, reducing the risk of Waste is being dumped indiscriminately into the environment due to the lack of treatment units.

In the field of financial support for businesses in the field of plastic waste recycling, the Environmental Protection Fund currently creates favorable conditions for businesses in the field of plastic recycling to access preferential capital with interest rates only from 2.6 – 3.6%/year, maximum loan amount 70% of total project investment…

Third, turn plastic waste into raw materials for industrial plants

Industries such as cement, iron, and steel, and electricity in these countries are consuming huge amounts of coal and emitting more than 30% of CO2 worldwide.

Non-recyclable plastic waste will be used as input materials for factories by co-processing. Factories will reduce coal consumption by recovering energy from burning non-recyclable plastic waste. Energy efficiency will be much higher than conventional waste-to-energy plants. Co-treatment is cost-effective and does not generate residues, while greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced compared to landfilling and incineration.

To summarise, in order to improve efficiency and develop plastic recycling activities, Vietnam needs to synchronously implement many solutions, including legal solutions, economic solutions, and solutions to raise awareness. public awareness, change consumption habits , and dispose of plastic waste. These solutions need to focus on solving 3 problems: Improving the efficiency of plastic waste collection, policies to support plastic recycling activities, and supporting businesses involved in plastic recycling.

At the same time, there must be mechanisms and policies to promote the recycling industry. The Government has issued a number of policies and mechanisms to encourage businesses operating in Vietnam’s plastic industry to invest heavily in technology to recycle plastic waste, but in fact, Vietnam still has to import up to 80% of raw materials. material for production. Currently, the total amount of plastic scrap purchased is only about 10% of the total plastic waste stored each year, which is released into the environment. If recycled plastic materials can be used at 35-50%/year, businesses can reduce production costs by more than 15%.

In the coming time, the Government should have stronger preferential policies for enterprises to invest in modern equipment and technology to recycle waste. In particular, plastic recycling not only contributes to reducing the amount of plastic waste in the environment but also creates raw materials for the production of plastic products, in order to limit the import of raw materials from abroad and keep it safe for the living environment. If we promote the domestic plastic recycling industry, we can meet 50% of the raw materials for the plastic industry.

Source: Extracted from Dr. Nguyen Dinh Dap, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences posted on kinhtevadubao