Hanoi's Waste Separation and Plastic Reduction Rules to 2031: What Partners Need to Know

Hanoi's current framework combines household waste separation requirements with phased restrictions on selected plastic products and packaging. Decision 87/2025/QĐ-UBND and Resolution 22/2025/NQ-HĐND are the principal municipal instruments, and implementation plans issued in 2026 address delivery, monitoring and management of collection and recycling facilities. GreenU has drawn the main points from a policy brief (updated 14 October 2026) for partners working in Hanoi.

Key municipal instruments

Decision 87/2025/QĐ-UBND (issued 29 December 2025, effective 8 January 2026) regulates source separation, storage, handover, collection, treatment and service charging for household and individual domestic solid waste. Resolution 22/2025/NQ-HĐND (issued 10 July 2025, effective 20 July 2025) sets measures and phased restrictions for plastics in production, trade, services and daily activities under the Capital Law. Plan 04/KH-UBND (5 January 2026) implements Resolution 22 and aims at an integrated plastic waste management system linked to the circular economy by 2030. Plan 52/KH-UBND (6 February 2026) targets household source separation in all communes and wards. Resolution 08/2025/NQ-HĐND raises fines for listed violations, including failure by households or individuals to separate waste or use prescribed waste packaging. Resolution 23/2025/NQ-HĐND provides conditional incentives for eligible recycling investments, while Plan 354/KH-UBND (21 September 2026) strengthens oversight of industrial waste and scrap collection, sorting and recycling facilities, including environmental and fire safety compliance.

Waste separation and collection

Article 5 of the Regulation attached to Decision 87 sets three main groups of household domestic solid waste: reusable and recyclable waste; food waste; and other domestic solid waste, which includes bulky waste, household hazardous waste and residual waste. Bulky and hazardous waste require separate handling within the third group. Commune or ward People's Committees decide how food waste is separated, based on available treatment infrastructure and local models. Collection operators may refuse improperly separated or packaged waste and notify local authorities for inspection and action. The Decision also provides for charging by weight or volume, but this alone does not show that a uniform pay-as-you-throw system is operating across Hanoi; local charging and collection arrangements remain relevant.

Plastic reduction timetable

From 20 July 2025, city government bodies and affiliated organisations must not use single-use plastics, except products carrying the Vietnam Ecolabel or the specified non-biodegradable bags and foam food containers. From 1 January 2026, markets and convenience stores must stop providing non-biodegradable plastic bags free of charge, and hotels and tourism sites must stop using the listed disposable plastic toiletries and their packaging. Plan 04 also specifies restrictions on single-use plastics and the specified non-biodegradable packaging in shopping centres, supermarkets, hotels and tourism sites, with an exception for goods already supplied in non-biodegradable plastic packaging.

From 1 January 2028, markets and convenience stores must stop circulating and using the targeted products and packaging, and restrictions apply to specified packaging in direct contact with food in daily activities, subject to the exception for packaged goods. Also from 2028, manufacturers using PE or PP in the packaging categories expressly referenced by Resolution 22 must use at least 20% recycled plastic, rising to 30% from 2030; this does not cover every plastic packaging category. From 1 January 2031, production and import of the specified single-use plastics, non-biodegradable packaging and microplastic-containing goods must cease, with exceptions for Vietnam Ecolabel products, export production and packaging used for marketed goods.

Points to note when applying the rules

The 2026 requirement to stop providing bags free of charge and the 2028 restriction on circulation and use at markets and convenience stores are distinct obligations. The measures apply to defined products, activities and exceptions; they are not a blanket prohibition on all plastics in Hanoi from 2026. Article 7 of Resolution 22 encourages reuse and refill, and the Resolution also covers communication, education, international cooperation and extended producer responsibility; these are policy provisions, separate from the mandatory restrictions. Recycling support under Resolution 23 depends on eligibility conditions, including use of best available techniques, so it is not automatic for all collectors or recyclers. Finally, implementation plans assign tasks and targets, but their adoption does not by itself show full compliance across all communes, wards and businesses. The scope and exceptions in the Vietnamese instruments remain the basis for interpreting specific obligations.

📄 Download the policy brief (English, Word)

Source: policy brief "Hanoi Waste Separation and Plastic Reduction", updated 14 October 2026, drawing on the instruments of the Hanoi People's Council and People's Committee named above. This article is a summary; please check the original instruments when applying them.