Knowledge and practice on using single-use plastic products of rural residents in Binh Luc district, Ha Nam province in 2022

Objectives: The increase in demand for plastic products, especially single-use plastic prod-ucts (Single-use plastic products - SUPs), poses challenges in handling plastic waste and risks of environmental pollution. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using structured questionnaires to assess the rural population's knowledge and practice of using SUPs among 370 rural residents from Binh Luc district, Ha Nam province in 2022. Results: The percentage of participants who could identify plastic bags, plastic straws, and plastic bottles as SUPs was 35.8%, 33.3%, and 17.9%, respectively. Over 90% of respondents knew the impact of plastic waste on the environment and human health. The most used SUPs daily were plastic bags (84.9%), mainly used for shopping in the market or supermarket (78.9%) with 2-4 bags per day. Stopping shopping at stores and restaurants using SUPs (15.7%) or sorting recyclable plastic waste and selling to scrap dealers (20.0%) were behav-iors that respondents regularly performed to reduce plastic waste. Conclusions: Participant’s general knowledge about SUPs and plastic waste reduction be-havior is quite low. Appropriate solutions from local authorities are necessary to raise aware-ness and change residents' behavior regarding using SUPs. Keywords: Single-use plastics, plastic waste, knowledge, practice, rural residents