Two million tons of plastic waste pile up in Thailand every year: MNRE

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Bangkok – Thailand is suffering a massive volume of over two million tons of plastic waste every year, most of which comes in the form of contaminated plastic bags.

Natural Resources and Environment Ministry (MNRE) Permanent-Secretary Wijarn Simachaya delivered a speech Tuesday at Beat Plastic Pollution seminar, held as part of the World Environment Day, to point out a plastic waste crisis which Thailand is currently facing.

He said this country has to reduce the volume of plastic waste in urban and rural areas, specifically plastic bags which are easily distributed from shops.

Over the past 10 years, plastic waste accounted for 12 percent of all waste in the country, or weighing about two million tons. Only 0.5 million tons was recycled, leaving the other 1.5 million tons, mostly contaminated plastic bags, untreated.

The permanent secretary said the government is working to raise the awareness among the general public on their participation to help reduce plastic waste, and to help conserve the nature and the environment.