BANGKOK (NNT) – The Thai government has announced that it will completely ban plastic waste imports by the end of 2024, as the kingdom sets its sights on reducing the environmental impact of plastics and shedding the label of being one of the world’s plastic bins.

Deputy Government Spokesperson Tipanan Sirichana explained that the move will also reduce the price of local plastic products, adding that the policy will mainly be under the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Industry.

Beginning 2025, Thailand will no longer allow imports of plastic scraps. These items will be listed as prohibited materials by the Ministry of Commerce and will be denied entry into the kingdom. Only 14 Thai factories in tariff-free zones have been allowed to import and utilize these items for export purposes over the period of 2023-2024.

The total ceiling limit for importing plastic scraps is currently around 373,000 metric tons annually.

According to Tipanan, the import volume is allowed at 100% of actual domestic plastic production capacity this year, with the volume to be reduced by half next year.

Importers must also have measures in place to mitigate the potential environmental impact of plastic waste.

Despite the Thai government’s ban on four more types of single-use plastics in 2022, up to 250,000 tonnes of imported plastic waste from other nations continues to flow into the country annually through the international plastic waste trade.

Information and Source

Reporter : Paul Rujopakarn

National News Bureau : http://thainews.prd.go.th

About the author

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You May Also Like

Green Hydrogen: A New Frontier for Thailand and Saudi Arabia

The investment is part of PTT’s net-zero strategy, which aligns with the Thai government’s targets of carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2065

Thailand to impose a carbon tax on 3 sectors

Carbon tax imposed by the Excise Department should help Thailand achieve its goals of carbon neutrality by 2050 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2063.

Asia’s heat wave worsens as Russia’s war in Ukraine lingers

As a heat wave scorches Asia, many countries are ramping up their use of coal to meet energy demands, reversing years of progress in transitioning to cleaner fuels. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has also disrupted the LNG market, causing global shortages and price hikes.