Officials launch rubbish cleaning contest in central Thailand

Thailand has a problem with rubbish polluting its streets, but one central province is determined to clean up the mess. Yesterday, officials launched a rubbish cleaning contest in Suphan Buri province. The contest is being organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Highways Department.

The contest is urging communities to clean their roads, intersections, and sidewalks. The communities that officials are trying to reach with the contest include businesses, schools, places of worship, and other residents.

Natural Resources and Environmental Minister Varawut Silpa-aracha spoke at the launch, urging people to reduce how much rubbish they produced. He said that waste management is one of the world’s major issues, and Thais need to do their part by helping collect rubbish.

Thailand’s goal is for 100% of plastic rubbish to be recycled by 2027. This year there was a tiny improvement, as the country went from #6 to #10 on a list of countries with the highest levels of marine plastic pollution. Nevertheless, plastic pollution remains a serious problem in Thailand and can be seen on streets, beaches, and several other places all across the country.

The recent contest in Suphan Buri is just one of a gazillion attempts by officials to combat littering in Thailand. Last week, Phuket’s city mayor asked residents in three target areas of the island province’s main city district to stop throwing rubbish in canals. The city municipality made rubbish bins available to help reduce the amount of rubbish found in canals.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand