BANGKOK, April 18 (TNA) – The Cabinet agreed a 2018-
2030 roadmap for plastic waste management, aiming to reduce the amount of
plastic garbage by 0.78 million tonnes annually.
Athisit Chainuwat, assistant government spokesman said Prime
Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment
to campaign for all sectors to participate in plastic waste reduction.
The ministry drafted the roadmap to be the policy
framework for integrated plastic waste management. The timeline in plastic
waste management has been rolled out to deal with the problem of plastic waste.
The initial target
is to cut plastic use and to convert to environment friendly packaging materials.
By this year, three plastic products – plastic cap seals in water
bottles, oxo-degradable plastics and plastic microbeads will
be banned.
Four other types, which will have been phased out by 2022
are Styrofoam food boxes, plastic straws, single-use plastic cups and plastic
bags less than 36 microns in thickness.
The next step is that 100 per cent of plastic waste
will be reusable by 2027. Studies will be conducted to do so and remaining
waste will be disposed of properly.
PR campaigns will be launched for public participation
and the country’s plastic waste database will be made.
The ministry expects that all measures will cut plastic
waste by 0.78 million tonnes per year and saved the budget of 3.9 billion baht in
waste management annually. (TNA)
