The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has expressed confidence that Thailand is on track to recycle all plastic waste by the year 2027.
Thalerngsak Phetsuwan, the ministry's deputy permanent secretary, yesterday said such efforts are part of the government's efforts to reduce plastic consumption under the ministry's plastic waste management roadmap for 2018-2030.
The roadmap has been created due to waste management concerns over the increasing number of single-use plastics, Mr Thalerngsak said at a conference, marking Earth Day, which falls on April 22.
The ministry has discussed the issue with the private sector and asked for its cooperation in producing plastic materials that can be recycled. It is expected this will result in single-used thin plastic bags being no longer available in the market due to their limitations for recycling.
The Department of Pollution Control is in the process of drafting a law for facilitating plastic recycling, following the government's bio-circular green economy policy.
"We are now experiencing a shortage of landfills due to the increasing amount of waste, but all waste should be recycled," he said.
Mr Thalerngsak expressed confidence that the plan will be smoothly executed as the country is now ready for green recycling technology. Moreover, the country has already banned importing plastic waste which could help reduce the amount of plastic scrap nationally.
Pavich Kesavawong, deputy director-general of the Department of Climate Change and Environment, said that the department fully supported the bio-circular green economy to reduce the amount of plastic waste.
He said the department is joining hands with 31 franchised coffee shops and restaurants, operating a total of 9,530 outlets countrywide, to stop using plastic goods, including straws and cups.
"We will officially announce this cooperation on Earth Day -- to create a new pathway of environmental-friendly consumption, moving ahead to sustainable development," he said.
Earth Day was announced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to highlight awareness of environmental issues. This year's theme, "Planet vs Plastics", aims to raise global awareness of the plastic waste crisis.