The electronic trash and plastic scraps management committee of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has decided to set the import quota of plastic scraps for recycling industry at 70,000 tonnes next year, to be reduced to 40,000 tonnes in 2020 and with a total ban in 2021.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Surasak Kanchanarat said Wednesday that, starting 2021, import of plastic scraps for recycling industry will be completely banned and recycling industry must use locally-generated plastic scraps instead.
About two million tonnes of plastic scraps are locally generated each year with about 500,000 tonnes being recycled, leaving behind 1.5 million tonnes which are discarded, said the minister, adding that these huge amount of leftover plastic scraps will have to be recycled.
Minister Surasak said the electronic trash and plastic scraps committee headed by environment permanent secretary Vijarn Simachaya had been assigned to study the suitability of levying a charge on the use of single-use plastic bags to discourage the use of the bags which has posed a serious threat to the environment and, especially marine lives, many of them were choked to death for consuming discarded plastic bags in the sea.
