VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of plastic bags producers in HCMC have rapidly prepared to make biodegradable bags in order to enjoy the environment task exemption. However, a problem still exists--that they do not know what environment-friendly bags mean, because there has been no official definition about it.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and the Environment on December 15th, held a meeting to consult with 100 plastic bag manufactures about the draft regulations on environment-friendly bags which the department is compiling.

Meanwhile, the environment protection law will take effect in 15 days, from January 1st 2012, which stipulate that plastic bags will be imposed the high tax of 40,000 dongs per kilo.

Nguyen Phuoc Dong, Director of Vafapack in District 8 of HCMC, said that since April 2011, he has invested more money on the production line to make biodegradable bags. It is expected that the production line will allow to put out 150 tons per month, which will be sold to big clients including Co.opMart, Thien Hoa, Tax trade center, Parkson, Nhu Lan, Kinh Do companies…

However, his company has been facing too many difficulties. Management agencies have been too late in promulgating legal documents relating the issue. Meanwhile, he has to send his products abroad for testing which takes time and money. The testing result has not been recognized by Vietnamese state management agency, though the products have been accepted by domestic clients.

According to Dong, the cost for making biodegradable bags is 43,000 dongs per kilo, higher by 10 percent than the cost for making normal bags. Recently, Vafapack has been applying Wells, a foreign set of standard, for production, encouraging clients to shift to using the degradable products.

While the new law validity date nears, a lot of questions remain unanswered: Which state agencies will come forward and grant certificates or satisfying requirements to bag manufactures? How much time will the certification process take? Who will control the degradability features of the bags to be in circulation in the market?

In mid October 2011, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee assigned the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment to meet bag producers and discuss to set up regulations on the designs and materials of environment-friendly bags.

Nguyen Trung Viet, from the city’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, said that his department would submit to the city’s authorities the standard of environment-friendly bags prior to December 31, 2011.

From January 1, 2012, HCMC will run a program on reducing the use of plastic bags at all supermarkets and shopping malls. This is a part of the strategy to reduce 40 percent of plastic bags by 2015. There are about 230 markets, 80 supermarkets and 17 shopping malls.

According to Dr Ha Thuc Chi Nhan, degradable plastic bags have appeared on the market. However, the bags can be decomposed into fragments, while they will not absolutely disappear from the market after they are thrown into the environment.

Meanwhile, in order to avoid the harm influences to the environment, the bags need to be biodegradable, i.e. they can be fully decomposed and become the “easy prey” for microorganism to turn them into water and CO2.

Some kinds of import bags can meet the requirements, but they are too expensive.

Source: TBKTSG