Better recycling of PET plastic bottles needed
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) are collaborating to promote effective recycling of PET plastic bottles to reduce wastes and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Thai Beverage Industry Association, the Recycling Association, the Antique Shops Association, the Plastic Industry Group, the Industrial Association of Thailand, and environmentalists/conservationists gathered this week at a workshop hosted by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) to showcase the commitment of organisations to better manage beverage bottles made from environmentally friendly polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic in the recycling process.
The above organisations are among the signatories to an agreement established on March 30 to guide business operators in adopting environmentally friendly practices, particularly the idea of maintaining the transparency and colourlessness of PET plastic bottles to maximise their value in the recycling process.
The March meeting was organised by BCG (integration of bioeconomy, circular economy and green economy) model working group with the aim of creating an agreement involving various stakeholders within the PET bottle supply chain and, in particular, of addressing the issue of coloured PET beverage bottles that tend to be excluded from the recycling system due to their lower value, affecting the purchase price. Coloured PET beverage bottles are priced at 1 baht per kg, considerably lower than clear PET bottles which are valued at 6 - 7.50 Baht per kg. This impacts motivation for collection and may not be cost-effective when factoring in transportation and certification standards set by the committee.
The agreement is just one of the efforts being made to fill the gaps in post-consumer packaging management. Notable initiatives include Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or the PackBack programme, Plastic Road studies, and the "MEGA City" waste management project, executed in Rayong Province and the Klong Toey area of Bangkok.
This agreement will provide guidelines for beverage bottle manufacturers from PET plastic to produce beverage bottles from PET plastic that can be recycled, which the TISI expects to be an important tool and mechanism to reduce wastes and greenhouse gas emissions.
