A top-10 marine water polluter, Thailand to tackle plastic waste
Named one of the world’s top 10 marine water polluters in 2021, Thailand has now added environmental mitigation as a national agenda item.
According to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2019, the global production of plastics had reached 460 million tonnes annually, doubling in volume over 20 years. And some 353 million tonnes ended up as waste, given the increasingly single-use nature of plastics.
However, only 9% of this was recycled, while 19% was burned in garbage kilns, 50% was disposed of in landfills, and 22% was improperly discarded. Greenhouse gas emissions from plastics account for 3.4% of total emissions.
Though plastic consumption during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 dropped by 2.2% compared to the previous year, the amounts of some plastic waste continued to rise as the material was needed to respond to the disease. And it has further increased as the economy rebounded as Covid prevalence declined.
Countries are increasingly paying attention to plastic waste, which has a long decomposition period and triggers microplastics contamination.
Thailand among top 10 marine waste polluters
Marine waste triggered by improper waste disposal has had a severe impact on marine ecosystems, with birds, dolphins, whales and turtles particularly suffering.
According to research published in the US-based journal Science Advances in 2021, Thailand was ranked 10th in the world with 23 billion tonnes of marine waste.
Among regional nations, the Phillippines topped marine waste polluters with 360 billion tonnes of marine waste. Malaysia came in third with 73 billion tonnes, while Indonesia came in fifth with 56 billion tonnes.
Myanmar and Vietnam were ranked sixth and eighth with 40 billion and 28 billion tonnes of marine waste, respectively.
Including waste reduction in national agenda
Thailand has now included waste issue as part of the national agenda by implementing short- and long-term waste management plans, creating a roadmap to deal with plastic waste between 2018 and 2030.
The country also signed on for the Asean Regional Action Plan for Combatting Marine Debris between 2021 and 2025, which aims to enhance marine resource management in a sustainable manner.
The plan includes implementing strategies, reducing plastic imports, reusing waste and banning single-use plastics.
Those involved view collaboration between stakeholders as necessary to tackling waste issues, and quick action is needed to mitigate impact on the environment.
