Phuket to be a foam-free city

Phuket Vice Governor, Thavorn Kongkaew, chaired the signing of Memorandums of Understanding between the government sector, the private sector and local associations. The MOUs are aiming to stop the use of foam material containers in Phuket. There were 13 companies granted a certificate of honour for being foam-free.

“Phuket is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the country. Apart from being responsible for the locals, we also have to be responsible for the tourists. The food packages must be of a high safety standard; that’s why we signed the MOU today to make Phuket 100% free of foam (poly styrene) containers,” said the Vice Governor.

“We receive a great coordination from paper package entrepreneurs including Thai Paper and Biodegradable Packaging for Environment (BPE), who signed the MOU with us and will help produce environmentally-friendly packages at a reasonable price. Phuket Provincial Public Health Office will follow up on the progress of the companies and organiations.”

Meanwhile, Phuket Public Health Office Chief, Dr Jirapan Taepan, says that the foam packages that are used for food are made out of the black-coloured waste from petroleum refineries, which consists of styrene, which has been linked to long-term health effects. He said it can also cause delays with the periods of woman.

“Styrene is a carcinogen that causes three types of cancer, including prostate cancer, breast cancer and liver cancer. Eating from foam packaging at least once a day for 10 years continuously can increase the risk of cancer by 6 times.”