As a part of the world which dumps 150,000 tonnes of plastic into its waters every year, the European Union (EU) has decided to take a tougher stance against this polluting material. The European parliament on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to ban a number of single-use plastics.
On the other hand, Thailand, which generates much more plastic waste than the European bloc, has become stuck with its voluntary measures and ad hoc awareness-raising campaigns which have proved less effective. The move by EU legislators shows that the Thai government and lawmakers need to consider imposing regulations on the use and distribution of disposable plastics.
Among the items to be completely banned by 2021 in the EU are plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks. These items are targeted mainly because they are major pollutants while there are other environmentally friendly alternatives available.
The EU also targets to reduce plastic items, "where no alternative exists", by 25% by 2025.
In fact, the volume of plastic waste dumped into the oceans by the bloc's 28 nations is small compared to the more than 8 million tonnes disposed into the world's waters collectively by Thailand, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Among its partners in crime in polluting the oceans, Thailand is the only country that still lacks tangible regulations to control the use of disposable plastics. China has imposed a ban on non-biodegradable bags and a levy on consumers for thicker ones. Indonesia has a plastic bag levy for selected retailers. The Philippines has banned the use of plastic bags for dry goods and regulates their use for wet goods in the city of Muntinlupa. Vietnam has taxed non-biodegradable plastic bags.
Thailand should no longer continue with its business-as-usual approach. Over the past 10 years, the country has generated as much as 2 million tonnes of plastic waste a year. Only a quarter of it has been recycled. About 80% of the non-recycled wastes are from plastics used for packaging.
Banning, restricting or taxing disposable plastics may not be a popular policy given that it will drastically affect consumers, the plastic industry and retailers. But consumers need to adjust their behaviour while the industry and businesses need to take more responsibility for what they offer to their customers.
Several voluntary programmes adopted by some retailers, such as the introduction of no-plastic bag days or giving bonus points to customers who do not ask for plastic bags, are made with good intentions. But they have not brought about drastic change. The impact of a ban on plastic use or distribution adopted by a number of government agencies has also been limited.
The Thai government and lawmakers must make it a national agenda item, and a more effective way is through step-by-step legislation, targeting the most polluting types of plastic.
A practical measure is to impose a plastic bag levy on suppliers, retailers and consumers. It may face resistance in the beginning. But over time, it can help adjust shoppers' behaviour and force businesses to come up with alternatives.
Single-use plastics are also popularly used as food wrappers in the country. Consumers do not even have other choices. However, there are a number of alternatives made of recycled materials that can replace plastic wrappers. The government should promote the use of them by providing financial incentives for development and the use of these alternative materials. Once they become more widely available, it should be time for a ban on their plastic versions.
Plastic has the benefit of being cheap, light and convenient to use. These positives have made it a popular choice. While it takes up to a thousand years for plastic to decompose, it takes consumers just a few minutes to throw it away. As a result, plastic waste has increasingly ended up in either landfills or oceans, endangering marine life and the environment. It is time for Thailand to solve its plastic problems in parliament.
