HANOI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam imported over 1.5 million tons of plastic worth more than 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of this year, posting respective year-on-year increases of 14.9 percent and 4.1 percent.

Meanwhile, the country spent nearly 1.5 billion U.S. dollars importing plastic products, up 7.8 percent, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Wednesday.

Between January and March, Vietnam gained 804 million U.S. dollars from exporting plastic products, up 18.1 percent year-on-year.

In 2018, Vietnam imported roughly 5.6 million tons of plastic totaling 9.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 11.9 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

In 1990, each Vietnamese person consumed 3.8 kg plastic, and in 2015, the figure surged to 41 kg, according to the Vietnam Plastics Association.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment estimated that some 80 tons of plastic bags and waste are thrown away every day in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City combined. The country targets zero non-biodegradable plastic bags by 2026, according to the ministry.