Songkran garbage plagues roads around Chon Buri beach

Garbage left from the Songkran holiday is plaguing the roads around a Chon Buri beach.

Heaps of garbage have been covering the roads around Bang Saen Beach since Songkran celebrations ended on Monday. While most provinces in Thailand mark Songkran from April 13 to 15 every year, some provinces in Thailand’s eastern region celebrate the festival for a bit longer.

Chon Buri held its “Wan Lai” or “day that flows” festivities on Sunday and Monday at the beach in the main city district. Activities included paying respect to Buddha deities, building sand mounds, and playing traditional games. The additional celebrations drew thousands of tourists to the area, leaving the roads filled with garbage, Nation Thailand reported.

The Saen Suk Municipality posted images of the piles of garbage left on Liab Hat Bang Saen Road on its Facebook page yesterday. The page said…

“We are happy to welcome everyone, but when you leave, who picks up the garbage?”

The municipality announced that it would hold a big clean this week to tidy up all roads in the Saen Suk area, and invited locals to join in. So far, students from Burapha University, local vendors, and municipal officials have signed up to help. The post added…

“We urge vendors to clean up the areas where they set up their stalls. If everyone cleans up after themselves, our Bang Saen Beach will return to its beautiful state in no time.”

Thailand has been among the top countries struggling with plastic waste in recent years.

In 2021, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) said that Thailand had an average of 1.03 tonnes of mismanaged waste each year and that nearly half of it (0.31%) flows into the sea.

The government has been implementing measures to reduce plastic use and promote recycling, including banning single-use plastics in certain areas and launching campaigns to encourage the use of cloth bags and reusable containers. Thailand has taken a significant step toward reducing its plastic waste by announcing a complete ban on plastic waste imports from January 1, 2025.