Saigon Co-op first supermarket chain in Vietnam to stop plastic straw sales

By Thi Ha   April 9, 2019 | 11:51 pm PT
Saigon Co-op first supermarket chain in Vietnam to stop plastic straw sales
Saigon Co.op will stop selling plastic straws staring May 2019. Photo by Shutterstock/Tae PY15MU
Supermarket chain Saigon Co.op will stop selling plastic straws at all its stores from next month as an environment-friendly measure.

Nguyen Anh Duc, its deputy permanent director, said plastic straws that come attached with products would also be removed.

Straws made from paper, rice straw, stainless steel, glass and other environment-friendly products would be sold to replace plastic straws, he added.

Saigon Co.op is the first major Vietnamese retailer to announce the decision to stop selling plastic straws. Some major supermarket chains have begun to use banana leaves to pack vegetables instead of plastic.

Vietnam disposes around 2,500 tons of plastic waste a day, according to official figures. It is the fourth largest country globally in terms of the amount of plastic waste dumped into the ocean, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

 
 
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