Thai supermarkets to stop using plastic bags in 2020
Giant retailers, plastic manufacturing firms and supermarkets in Thailand have reached an agreement to stop supplying single-use plastic bags to customers from early 2020.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa said this cooperation will help Thailand leave the list of major generators of waste and sea garbage.
The ministry invited a dozen of partners to join its campaign to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags.
The partners that represent giant retailers, major supermarkets, plastic manufacturers and trade associations pledged to stop giving out disposable plastic bags to customers from January 2020.
It is estimated that Thais use 45 billion single-use plastic bags per year, of which 13.5 billion (about 30 percent) is generated from supermarkets and convenient stores.
Warawut said the environment minister said this cooperation can help to reduce single-use plastic usage by 30 percent.
The ministry said it is drafting a law on reduction, reuse and recycling of plastic materials and waste. If it is adopted, this legislation will become the first law on waste reuse and recycling in Thailand.
