Regional News
Retailers to Stop Providing Plastic Bags as of January 1st, 2020
Thai Retailers Association will stop providing plastic bags from January 1st, 2020 in a bid to help reduce plastic waste in Thailand. A whopping 13.5 billion, or 30 per cent, of plastic bags used in Thailand annually.
The Department of Pollution Control said that 40% or 18 billion plastic bags come from the fresh market annually. While the rest 30 per cent of 13.5 billion bags come from local grocery stores.
In Bangkok alone, each person uses eight plastic bags on average per day. Consequently creating around 80 million pieces of plastic waste daily.
Thai Retailers Association decided to introduce a campaign titled “Every Day Say No to Plastic Bags”. Under which all its 75 members will stop providing single use plastic bags. The ban is in an effort to drive the country closer to a plastic waste free society starting next year.
The Thai government also said it would consequently ban three types of plastic; – microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastics – by the end of the year.
Environmental group Greenpeace says about 75 billion pieces of plastic end up in the waste each year in Thailand and half of this is from malls, supermarkets and convenience stores, with the other half coming from traditional markets and street vendors.
These bags are part of almost 2 million tonnes of plastic waste produced each year by Thai consumers.
Thai officials also believe the move could help to greatly cut the amount of plastic used in the kingdom. Which has been rated as one of the worst sources of plastic that also ends up in the world’s oceans.
Source: AsiaOne