Thailand’s Plastic Waste Problem Waste Problem and Its Road to and Its Road to Zero Plastic Waste Zero Plastic Waste
Thailand is said to be among Asia’s biggest consumers of plastic. A lot of it ends up as waste in the environment. But the government is hoping to change this. We take a look at the opportunities and challenges that present themselves in Thailand, from both top-down and bottom-up approaches.
The world has seen plastic production balloon from 2 million tons to 348 million tons per year over the last 65 years. This includes a steady growth of plastic packaging. While it has clear benefits like reducing food waste and durability, the plastic waste that ends up in the environment is detrimental to human health and nature. One country facing this problem is Thailand, where per capita consumption of plastic is among the highest in Asia. The country sees a 7% to 8% annual increase in plastic use attributed to Thailand’s population growth and economic development.
According to a report by Metabolic, a Dutch consultancy on sustainability and the circular economy, around 80% of Thailand’s plastic waste consists of single-use plastic bags. The COVID-19 pandemic has added to this trend: among other things, businesses have tried to regain consumers’ trust by wrapping all products in plastic. Much of this ends up in the environment, especially marine ecosystems. Figure 1 points to a variety of root causes of the plastic waste crisis. While not exhaustive, they demonstrate how seemingly unrelated factors result in increased plastic waste and litter.
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