Govt backs 'No Plastic' push

The cabinet has given the greenlight to a "No Plastic" campaign which will start on Jan 1 next year ahead of a ban on single-use plastic bags in 2021.

Speaking after the cabinet meeting in Kanchanaburi on Tuesday, Government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat said the cabinet has approved the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s campaign to end the handing out of single-use plastic bags and will ensure collaboration between related agencies.

Ms Narumon said Thailand will ban three types of plastic — microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastics — by the end of this year and four others — lightweight plastic bags less than 36 microns thick, styrofoam food containers, plastic cups and plastic straws — by 2022.

The cabinet also gave the nod to the ministry’s campaign to stop giving out single-use plastic bags to customers in department and convenience stores from next year under Thailand’s Roadmap on Plastic Waste Management 2018-30.

Moreover, the cabinet instructed related agencies, including the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Ministry of Interior, to raise public awareness of the campaign.

The cabinet also tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to work with 43 private companies on plastic ban guidelines.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa urged all agencies to join the campaign and use paper or cloth bags before Thailand imposes its ban on single-use plastic bags in 2021.