The program to limit the use of nylon bags has initially worked in changing Hanoians' habit of taking that bags in daily life and shopping.
The outcome was reported during a conference, held by the Ha Noi Department of Natural Resources and Environment on December 12, to review five years of the implementation of the program in
Addressing the conference, the department’s deputy director Pham Van Khanh said that different ways of communications has enabled the program to gain encouraging results from rural to urban areas, from markets, supermarkets and trade centers to households.
The message of “limiting the use of nylon bags to protect the environment” has become familiar to residents in the capital, he said.
At supermarkets and trade centers, nylon bags have been limited and replaced by other eco-friendly bags.
Started in 2009, the program has been implemented in all Hapro supermarket chains with 50,000 cotton bags distributed free to customers. In 2010, the program organized a campaign to distribute the bags in 28 districts and one town in the city as well as a campaign to collect used nylon bags to exchange for eco-friendly ones.
In 2011, the program expanded its communications campaign to women, housewives and entrepreneurs. And in 2013, it approached young generations at primary schools and universities under a campaign that introduce the youngsters to the risks caused nylon bags and call for the signing in of a pledge of “Say No to nylon bags” to protect the environment.
According to Pham Van Khanh, though residents have had initial awareness about the program and knowledge in the risks of nylon bags to living environment, the convenience and cheap price of nylon bags as well as the fact that there have not many products to replace, nylon bags have been just limited partly.
As a result, he said, the program needs to continue communication programmes to raise the awareness among the community, enterprises on the risks of nylon bags to the environment and encourage the use of environmentally friendly products.
The program also encourages the support and cooperation of enterprises, organizations so that they bring eco-friendly bags into trade centers and supermarkets.