It is estimated that there is 25 million tonnes of solid domestic waste each year in Vietnam, and 10-20% of it is plastic.
The PHA is part of progress made by the Local Solution for Plastic Pollution (LSPP) sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Center for Supporting Green Development (GreenHub), co-operating with three other partners.
It is estimated that there is 25 million tonnes of solid domestic waste produced each year in the nation, with up to 20% of it being plastic.
The percentage of plastic waste and single-use nylon bags in the country’s urban areas has also witnessed a rapid increase, accounting for between 10% and 20% of domestic solid waste.
Dealing with issues relating to plastic pollution requires the combined efforts of many parties, such as Governmental bodies, international organisations, NGOs, research institutes, universities, and businesses, said Nguyen Trung Thang, deputy director of ISPONRE , during the launch ceremony.
Establishing PHA can be viewed as an opportunity in order to attract the greater participation of all related groups in order to help reduce harm caused by plastic pollution on human health, he added.
According to Christine Gandomi, USAID acting director of the office of Environment and Energy, the partnership would mark the beginning of a fresh era of collaboration, along with boosting the exchange of knowledge and good practices around plastic pollution challenges.
The PHA would be among the first partnerships primarily focusing on plastic and its impacts on human health, she said.
“This exchange and dialogue will help us address pressing development challenges in Vietnam,” she stated.
The PHA has mobilised 18 organisations nationwide, including partners from international organisations, Government, NGOs, research institutes, and universities.
In the future, the PHA will support departments and localities all over the country to carry out policy advocacy activities related to plastic and health. This will be done whilst building and contributing to a data centre, boosting communication activities, raising awareness on the relationship between plastic and health, and deploying pilot models to reduce plastic pollution throughout the nation.