With a goal to reduce single-use plastic waste, PTT Oil and Retail (OR) recently joined hands with PTT Global Chemical, the country's largest petrochemical producer, to introduce dropboxes for people to discard their unwanted plastic items.
The dropbox for plastic waste at PTT Headquarters. (Photo courtesy of PTT Oil and Retail (OR))
The project is known as "Plastic (Khuen) Suk" or "Plastic (Returns) Happiness". The idea is based on the circular economy philosophy, meaning that plastic waste will be recycled or up-cycled into new products.
According to the United Nations, people today generate around 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, a value that is nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. Moreover, 79% of all plastic waste is not managed properly and ends up in landfills, dumps, or polluting our rivers and sea. Only 9% of all plastic waste is recycled and about 12% is incinerated.
Anyone can help make the world better by separating plastic rubbish, cleaning it and dropping the items in the collection containers. The orange dropbox is for plastic bags and plastic wraps while the yellow box is for plastic boxes, bottles and cups.
During the initial phase, the dropboxes can be found on the first floor of PTT headquarters in the Energy Complex A Building on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road and a PTT gas station (Pracha Uthit-Lat Phrao Branch) on Pradit Manu Tham Road. PTT plans to expand the service to other PTT gas stations in the future.
Another option is to drop single-use plastic bags at numerous collection points by the Won Project operated by TPBI, a leading packaging company based in Sampran district in Nakhon Pathom. Visit the project Facebook page at facebook.com/wontogether for the dropbox sites.
TPBI's Won Project.
You can also deliver unwanted plastic items to Wat Chak Daeng in Samut Prakan's Phra Pradaeng district. The temple has a recycling facility and the PET bottles will be used to make monk robes while single-use plastic bags will be recycled for fuel. Visit watchakdaeng.com or call 066-159-9558 for more details.
In Chiang Mai, you can drop single-use plastic bags at the Industrial Technology Department of the Science and Technology Faculty of Chiang Mai Rajabhat University. The plastic bags will be used for making recycled pavement blocks. Contact Asst Prof Wechsawan Lakas, a lecturer who manages the Green Road project, at 053-885-600 or visit the project Facebook page at facebook.com/greenroad.international.
In Kanchanaburi, Tha Makham Natural Farming Centre in Muang District is accepting single-use plastic bags and bottles. Call Khun Aek at 085-539-5569 for more details.
Recycled pavement bricks of the Green Road Project in Chiang Mai. (Photo by Karnjana Karnjanatawe)
