Thailand’s Pollution Control Department is set to launch the 2nd phase of the Action Plan on Plastic Waste Management on July 3rd, which is International Plastic Bag Free Day.
The 2nd phase targets a reduction in the amount of single-use plastic bags destined for landfills by 100% by the end of 2027. The second target is to increase the amount of single-use plastic bags being recycled to 100% in the same period. The third target is to cut the amount of single-use plastic bags that end up in the oceans, by as much as 50% by 2070. The fourth target is to introduce 10 “tools” for use in the management of plastic waste.
Under the 1st phase of the action plan, which was launched in 2000 and ended last year, the Pollution Control Department reported that as many as 90 companies, including shopping malls, department stores and convenience stores, had cut the number of single-use plastic bags by 14.35 billion, or 81,531 tonnes, during the three-year period, under the slogan “Everyday Say No to Plastic Bags.”
Thailand has set out a roadmap to reduce and eventually end the use of single-use plastic bags and replace them with environmentally friendly materials, and to recycle all plastic bags, rather than putting them in landfills.
