Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said, on the eve of International Plastic Bag Free Day today (July 3), that Thailand will phase out the use of four types of plastic products by 2022. The products are plastic bags which are less than 36 microns thick, Styrofoam food containers, plastic straws and single-use plastic cups.

The Prime Minister praised the private sector for their initiatives to reduce plastic waste and urged all shopping malls, convenience stores and other shops to reduce or stop the use of single-use plastic bags on sustainable basis, not just on the annual International Plastic Bag Free Day.

He added that the government had set a roadmap through to 2030 to reduce and finally stop the use of plastic bags and other plastic products and to replace them with environmentally friendly products.

The Mall and Central groups, which operates several shopping malls, has stopped providing plastic bags to shoppers effective from today, advising shoppers to bring their own bags. Anyone who wants a single-use plastic bag will be charged one baht per bag.

Other large, modern chain stores in Thailand had already started campaigns to urge their customers to bring their own shopping bags.

Statistics show that Thai people generate about two million tons of plastic waste each year, or 8-10 plastic bags each day by every Thai citizen.