The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources will begin a voluntary clean-up project Tuesday on two of Phuket's popular tourist beaches, Kata and Karon, which are being threatened by large amounts of marine debris.
Jatuporn Buruspat, the department director-general, said Monday that marine waste is polluting the beaches and damaging the local environment.
A considerable amount of waste was found to have drifted into the Andaman Sea around Phuket and more than 200 tonnes has washed up on the two aforementioned beaches since the monsoon season started several weeks ago, he said.
Local officials collected some of the waste but the disposal process has been hindered by staff and equipment shortages, Mr Jatuporn added.
He said the department will use heavy machinery from Tuesday to clean the remaining garbage from the two beaches. Most of it is plastic waste plus pieces of wood, he added.
Mr Jatuporn said local businesses have been enlisted to help with the clean-up operations. World Oceans Day on June 8 highlighted the threat posed by plastic waste.