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Nhon Market is a large local market in Bac Ninh, and it's the first market in Northern Vietnam to pilot a plastic waste reduction program. At all the stalls, from those selling household goods and clothing to those selling vegetables, signs are displayed encouraging the use of plastic straws and cups, and reducing plastic waste.
Sharing their thoughts on the anti-plastic waste movement, vendors at Nhon Market said that this model has only recently been piloted here but has received widespread support. The vendors hope customers will proactively bring their own bags, because biodegradable paper bags are quite expensive, and vendors cannot afford to invest in or switch entirely to this type of bag immediately.
Many small traders also use biodegradable paper bags to hold food when selling it to customers.
A customer buying boiled corn was given a biodegradable plastic bag by the vendor.
Although pilot programs have been implemented at Nhon Market, the most important thing to reduce plastic waste when shopping is to change people's awareness and behavior regarding the use of plastic waste, from limiting and minimizing to eventually eliminating single-use plastic bags and plastic waste altogether.
A sign with a slogan stated the harmful effects of plastic bags, noting that it takes up to 300 years for them to decompose.
Starting with the Nhon Market, which was the first pilot project in the North, it is hoped that the model of reducing plastic waste in local markets will gradually be replicated and change people's habits, encouraging them to switch to using environmentally friendly products and materials.
