Majority of Thais support single-use plastic bag ban

PHOTO: The Nation

A survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University (Suan Dusit Poll), indicates that a vast majority of the Thai public see the value in banning single-use plastic bags. A number of Thailand’s major retailers are rolling out a ban on giving out single-use bags from January 1.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment aims to encourage people to cut down on the single-use plastics. The issue of all the other plastic use in Thai daily life is yet to be addressed.

In the survey, out of more than 2,000 respondents nationwide, 90% agreed with a ban and some said they are already changing their habits. Most told the poll that they had heard of the government’s No Plastic campaign, which starts on January 1, 2020, and supported using reusable bags and natural product bags. Most also supported the government’s aim to pass a law to reduce the use and production of plastics and approved of a tax or surcharge for plastic bags.

The Thai government aims to drastically reduce single-use plastics by 2022 by introducing environmentally-friendly alternatives, and better recycling of plastic waste by 2027.

“This would reduce plastic waste by about 780,000 tonnes per year, reduce the waste management budget by 3.9 billion baht annually, and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, by 1.2 million tonnes.”

SOURCE: The Pattaya News