Vietnam proposes fees on plastic bags, cups instead of 2026 ban
Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has proposed in a draft decree that malls, supermarkets, hotels and tourist sites stop handing out single-use plastic bags, cups and food containers free of charge, in place of the outright ban due to apply from this year. The draft pushes the halt to production and import of thin plastic bags back five years to 2031. It recommends ending production and import of single-use straws, cutlery and foam food boxes from 2031, and proposes minimum recycled content of 10% for plastic packaging and 20% for paper packaging.
Why this mattersA five-year delay and a shift from a ban to charges reset compliance timelines for converters in Vietnam, while 10% and 20% recycled-content minimums would create demand for recycled material.
- The draft decree would bar malls, supermarkets, hotels and tourist sites from providing single-use plastics and non-biodegradable bags free of charge.
- The halt to production and import of thin non-biodegradable bags moves back five years to 2031; the threshold is cut to below 30 microns from 50 microns and the size limit is dropped.
- Production and import of single-use straws, cutlery and foam food boxes is recommended to end from 2031.
- Proposed minimum recycled content is 10% for plastic packaging for drinks, food, carrier and shipping bags, and 20% for paper packaging.
- Decree 08/2022 required no single-use plastics at malls, supermarkets, hotels and tourist sites after 2025.
- A ministry waste management official said in June that the ban had not been implemented and that taxes or fees would be more suitable.