Changing habits is not easy. In 2010, the commune established an interdisciplinary inspection team specializing in monitoring violations of plastic bag use. The slogan for the movement to become more and more standard is “For a green – clean – beautiful island commune”. Together with the government, the Management Board of Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area has had many visual activities that people and tourists cannot ignore, which is displaying models of sea turtles recycled from common types of waste. on the sea like old ropes and nets at Bai Ong – Cu Lao Cham with the message “Let’s join Cu Lao Cham in saying no to plastic bags, straws and single-use plastic products from this moment!”.
The story is long, from a place surrounded by all kinds of plastic waste, not only suffocating people on shore, but also killing coral reefs, but in August 2022, an operation by the Marine Protected Area Management Board Cu Lao Cham to clean up the seabed, collect nets and plastic bags stuck to coral reefs, and protect biodiversity by monitoring plastic waste at sea and in the waters of the World Biosphere Reserve. around Cu Lao Cham, they only found 4.5kg of nylon under the coral reef!
Still the question, which people were skeptical about 15 years ago, but now has… opened their eyes, is why Cu Lao Cham was able to do it? And why is it only in this place, but in other areas of Hoi An or looking at the whole country, “singing forever still can’t make a sentence?”. Mr. Nguyen The Hung – Standing Vice President of Hoi An City People’s Committee said: “Changing habits is not easy, but it cannot be otherwise, because it is a strong trend of the world. Everyone knows the harmful effects of plastic bags, but applying it in Cu Lao Cham means accepting the challenge, because if done incorrectly, the outside perception will not be good for the image of this tourist island, not to mention that this is a tourist island. World biosphere reserve, extremely sensitive if the environment is polluted.
It’s easy to say, but actually… not difficult. “The people of Cu Lao Cham are the same as Hoi An – Mr. Hung said – most people agreed to do it. In the past, when my grandparents went to the market, they didn’t have a plastic bag to carry a basket. It wasn’t difficult to walk around the island carrying a plastic basket, going to the market and going to the shop! Cu Lao Cham is at the mouth of the Thu Bon River, located on an international maritime route, has more tourists, is located in the core of the World Biosphere Reserve, and has a lot of trash. This policy for nearly 15 years shows that we have done it right. The main reason why people agree is when they see that it is the cleanliness that makes visitors curious, they have income from trading, providing tourism services, and their image becomes beautiful in the eyes of others. Doing tourism here, I dare not say any profit, but no loss!”.
But, a woman selling vegetables right at the wharf said: “The government wants to do better and completely ban the use of plastic bags on the mainland. We keep it but customers take it out to dispose of, even if we put it in the trash, it would still cost money to ship it to the mainland for destruction.”
The law does not prohibit them from using plastic bags, but they accept it, enough to see that they are well aware when the benefits lead to better, but still there is an alternative solution, because leaves and paper, especially newspapers, are always harmful. The thirst of the people here, whoever came from the mainland brought them paper to pack, they were so happy.
“It is very difficult to find an optimal alternative solution – Mr. Hung said – this is the bottleneck of policy in Vietnam. In Europe, if you buy a bottle of water to drink on the spot, it costs less than if you buy it to take away, because they tax the economy and increase taxes on plastic processing facilities. Their laws are strict, their people’s awareness is high. It’s difficult for us, just recycling nylon is not easy to do, let alone anything else. Ban? So what can the government use to replace those things for them?
That’s it. People’s hearts are favorable, when and only when reality shows them that if there is no one way, there is another way, there is a basis for feasible change and a good impact on their long-term lives. Exhortations will become a joke, the movement that reaches the top will decline, if there is only will. This remote land where the water waves are a green spot worth living, when the living know how to sacrifice their habits, save and… promote fresh space for the future. That is the will of people, what they seek and success or failure depends on people, not heaven.