An islet in Co To Island district of Quang Ninh province (Photo: VNA) The move will be piloted from three to six months before localauthorities consider the official imposition of a ban on plastic use in effortsto boost sustainable tourism development.
After the shutdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Co To hasbeen busy welcoming visitors back, but this also means an increase in theamount of plastic bags and bottles used by travellers as well as tourismestablishments.
On July 21, the Secretary of the district Party Committee andChairperson of the district People’s Committee issued the decision at aconference that discussed measures to improve the tourism business environmentand quality.
One of the focal tasks is to step up communications to raisebusinesses, local residents and travellers’ awareness of environmentalprotection and encourage the use of products made from recycled andenvironmentally friendly materials.
To effectively enforce this regulation, local authorities haveasked transportation and travel companies to give guidance so that touristswill not bring plastic and polluting items to Co To.
The district is also calling on local residents to actively joinhands in preventing plastic waste by saying no to single-use plastic products,using those made from eco-friendly materials, and engaging in environmentally-friendly practice at home.
Vice Chairmanof the district People’s Committee Do Huy Thong said apart from daily waste andmarine debris, garbage discharged from tourism activities is also a burden on thelocal environment.
He noted Co To welcomes up to 6,000 - 8,000 visitors onpeak days, and if each of them uses or brings one or two plastic bags orbottles, it would be full of plastic waste. It takes not just several days oryears but thousands of years for plastic waste to decompose. With the currenttourism growth, immediate solutions must be taken or the district may become an“island of waste”.
Given this, Co To is discouraging visitors from bringingsingle-use plastic items to the island, Thong went on, adding a small effort bytourists can help keep the environment clean and minimise waste discharged intothe ocean.
The district hopes the policy will receive support from localsand tourists, the official said.
Located north-east of Quang Ninh, Co ToIsland boasts huge potential for maritime tourism. The number of domestic andforeign visitors has been on the rise over the years.
Co To’s move to reduce plastic use is also part of Quang Ninh’sefforts in this regard.
Authorities in the province recently approved a proposal tocontinue a zero-plastic-waste programme on Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO-recognised worldnatural heritage site.
Accordingly, organisations and individuals working in tourismand services in the bay commit not to use or buy and sell single-use plasticproducts, and replace them with environmentally friendly ones.
Communications will also be strengthened to persuade touristsnot to bring or use single-use plastics during their cruises around Ha LongBay. Ship owners are advised to refuse providing services in case their customersintentionally do not comply with this regulation.
An estimate in 2020 by theEnding Plastic Pollution Innovation Challenge (EPPIC) project showed that amongover the 28,280 tonnes of plastic waste released in the bay area eachyear, about 5,272 could be discharged to the sea, and 34 tonnes of waste came fromtourism activities every day.
Patrick Haverman, Deputy ResidentRepresentative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, said plasticsaccount for an estimated 70 - 80% of marine debris. Whilemany countries have made considerable efforts to fight plastic waste,challenges caused by marine plastics are transboundary./.
VNA
