PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC), Thailand's largest petrochemical producer by capacity, continues to expand its recycling business by focusing on opaque plastic containers, especially bottles, under its recently launched campaign to promote environmentally friendly lifestyles among young people.
It is the second environmental campaign after the company began operating a business to recycle waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.
PTTGC wants its recycling to cover high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and resin, said PTTGC chief executive Kongkrapan Intarajang and president Kongkrapan Intarajang.
HDPE refers to opaque plastic materials such as milk and detergent containers. Many people do not know these discarded containers can be sorted for recycling like PET bottles, causing many of them to end up in landfills.
Waste HDPE containers currently fetch 40 baht a kilogramme, he said.
Mr Kongkrapan said PTTGC will boost the recycling capacity of both PET bottles and waste HDPE containers to 20,000 tonnes annually this year, up from 10,000 tonnes at present.
Its recycling facility in Map Ta Phut in the eastern province of Rayong, which began operating in 2022, is designed to have a maximum capacity of 60,000 tonnes a year.
The factory is run by Envicco Co, a subsidiary of PTTGC.
Under a plan to increase the amount of waste plastic containers for recycling, dubbed the "Generation S campaign", the company will target young people, referring to those who were born in the internet era some 20 years ago, to enlighten them regarding the value of recycling used plastic containers.
Manufacturers of consumer products will be another target.
This environmental campaign must be carried out in tandem with better waste management, said Mr Kongkrapan.
Thailand generates 1.9 million tonnes of plastic waste annually and just a quarter of that is recycled.
The rest is taken to landfill sites and incinerators, with some going into the ocean, Mr Kongkrapan noted earlier.
The authorities launched a campaign asking department stores not to dispense free single-use plastic bags to customers, but these plastic bags are still widely used among small vendors.
PTTGC expects its sales in the petrochemical business to grow 7% this year, down from its earlier target of 15%, due to a need to temporarily shut down some production facilities for maintenance.