The Thai cabinet decided today (Tuesday) to ban the import of all plastic waste, effective from January 1^st, 2025.

Additionally, the import of plastic waste this year and next will be regulated. For the 14 recycling plants located in the tax-free zone, the amount of waste to be imported this year must not exceed their combined production capacity, which is 372,994 tonnes.

For 2024, the amount of plastic waste allowed to be imported for the plants will be reduced to half of their combined production capacity.

For the import of plastic waste to be processed in areas outside the tax-free zone, importers must show evidence that the imports are necessary, due to a shortage of supplies, to meet their production demand. The imported plastic waste must be used as raw material in the production process, without the need to be cleaned.

Deputy Government Spokesperson Tipanan Sirichana said that the strict regulations and eventual ban on the import of plastic waste is a government policy designed to protect the environment and to control pollution to protect the health of the people.