Government’s policy aiming to stop using plastic bags to solve the waste problem.

In the past 3 years since January 1, 2020, that operators, shops, large retailers, and convenience stores refrain from handing out plastic bags under the government’s policy aiming to stop using plastic bags to solve the waste problem. Thailand's plastic ranks as one of the top causes of pollution in the world.

In the past, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Data report (2018) found that Thai people used up to 45,000 million plastic bags per year, or an average of 8 per person per day, of which these plastic bags were from 3 main sources, with the largest proportion of up to 40 percent from fresh markets, municipalities and the private sector, accounted for 18 billion pieces per year, and another 30 percent from grocery stores, 13.5 billion pieces per year, and 30 percent from department stores and convenience stores, 13.5 billion pieces per year.

This is the origin of Thailand's Plastic Waste Management Roadmap 2018-2030, with the first goal to reduce and stop using plastic and use environmentally friendly renewable materials, stop using plastic bags with handles, styrofoam boxes for food, plastic straws. The second goal is to reuse 100% of plastic waste. By 2027, it is expected that the amount of plastic waste will be reduced by about 0.78 million tons per year, saving about 3.9 million of the budget for waste management. billion baht per year

In the past year (2022), the Pollution Control Department moved forward according to the Roadmap to phase out four types of single-use plastics: one of these include thin plastic bags less than 36 microns thick, styrofoam food containers, plastic cups less than 100 microns thick, and plastic tube as well as promoting plastic recycling, including plastic bags with handles, single-layer plastic film packaging, plastic bottles (all types), bottle caps, plastic cups, food trays/boxes, and spoons/forks/knives toto be reused into the circular economy. 

For the results of the implementation of the waste reduction and sorting project by public agencies across the country since 2019, the amount of waste sent for disposal has been reduced by 89,805 tons, of which 341 million plastic bags have been reduced. Also, in the past year, plastic bags with thin handles must be reduced by 100 percent as well.

However, people from all sectors, as well as foreigners operating business, working, studying and traveling, can play a part in solving the problem of using plastic bags by turning to alternative materials that are environmentally friendly.

Source: Pollution Control Department.
Tel: (+66) 02 298 2000