Vietnam to ban plastic bags by 2030

Hanoi, May 15 Vietnam will ban the use of all plastic bags from 2030, including those in wet markets, Vietnam News Agency reported Saturday.

The country has also set a target of using 100 percent environmentally-friendly bags at commercial centers and supermarkets by 2025, the news agency cited the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as reporting.

A survey by the ministry's Institute of Strategy and Policy on National Resources and Environment showed that up to 104,000 single-use plastic bags are used at Vietnam's supermarkets each day, equivalent to 38 million bags a year, Xinhua news agency reported.

Vietnamese people consume about 3.9 million tons of plastic per year, while only 1.28 million tons of plastic are recycled, according to a report by the World Bank.

Plastics are commonly used in a wide range of industries in the country, including packaging, consumer goods, electronics, automotives, aviation, textiles, and agriculture, it said.