Group photo of GIZ staff, speakers and participants from the BMA

31 July 2025 – In a world where plastic waste threatens our oceans and communities, Collaborative Actions for Single-Use Plastic Prevention in Southeast Asia (CAP SEA), implemented by GIZ Thailand, has taken a step forward, bringing together stakeholders to reimagine how Thailand’s capital manages waste.

A capacity-building workshop to enhance the capabilities of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration executives in sustainable waste management, based on the principles of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the Circular Economy (CE), and the draft Sustainable Packaging Management Act, was held at the Mandarin Hotel Bangkok. The event was in collaboration with GIZ’s Marine Litter Prevention through the Reduction, Sustainable Design, and Recycling of Plastic Packaging (MA-RE-DESIGN) project, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), and marked a pivotal moment in the city’s journey towards sustainable waste management.

The challenge we face together

Bangkok generates thousands of tons of waste daily, with packaging materials forming a substantial portion of this stream. While the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has pioneered initiatives like the ‘No Mixed Waste’ policy and differentiated collection fees based on the ‘Pay-As-You-Throw’ (PAYT) principle that reward households for separating waste, the scale of the challenge demands more integrated solutions.

Source: Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), 2025

Looking beyond immediate measures, the BMA (the CAP SEA project’s key partner) has partnered with the private sector to develop a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), a facility that receives separately collected packaging waste, and sorts the materials by type (such as plastic, paper, and metal) in the Nong Khaem area ¬– an initiative that embodies both the CAP SEA and MA-RE-DESIGN projects’ shared commitment to strengthening Circular Economy (CE) principles and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks. This BMA facility illustrates a tangible demonstration of how collaborative projects can transform policy concepts into working infrastructure designed to efficiently reintegrate materials back into the recycling system.

Source: PPP Plastics และ SERI, 2025

The timing couldn’t be more crucial. Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) is also drafting comprehensive packaging management legislation grounded in EPR principles and CE concepts. For Bangkok, this represents both an opportunity and a responsibility to lead by example. The workshop emerged from the recognition that sustainable packaging management requires not just policy changes, but a fundamental shift towards circular thinking that connects local action with national frameworks and regional cooperation.

Integrated stakeholder engagement

Group photo of speakers and participants from the BMA

The workshop united diverse voices for the same purpose. BMA executives, including the Chief Sustainability Officers and Chiefs of Public Cleansing and Public Parks from district offices, representatives from the Environment Department, and representatives from PPP Plastic (the private sector partner developing the MRF) joined researchers from the Sustainable Environmental Research Institute (SERI), Chulalongkorn University. Facilitators from GIZ helped create a rich dialogue between policymakers, implementers and technical experts. The aim was to enhance the BMA’s capabilities in developing policies and short-, medium-, and long-term action plans for waste separation systems, ensuring alignment with CE and EPR principles.

Dr Panuwat presenting the BMA’s waste management policy

The morning session opened with Dr Panuwat Onthes, Director of the Waste Management Strategy Office at the BMA’s Environment Department, outlining the waste management challenges in Bangkok, such as increasing waste volumes, insufficient sorting at the source, and rising disposal costs. He stressed the importance of shifting towards upstream waste management and highlighted the 3R principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) as the foundation of the BMA’s strategy. A core part of his presentation was the promotion of producer and consumer responsibility. He emphasised the need for producers to take full lifecycle responsibility for their products, in line with the EPR principle. Simultaneously, waste generators – households, communities and buildings – should be held legally responsible for sorting and managing waste at the source. This aligns with the BMA’s goal of making waste separation mandatory behaviour across the city.

Dr Sujitra presenting EPR, CE and PAYT concepts

Following, Dr Sujitra Vassanadumrongdee, Senior Researcher, Sustainable Environmental Research Institute (SERI), Chulalongkorn University, explained the concepts of EPR, the Circular Economy (CE), and Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT), stressing that sustainable waste management requires systemic legal and institutional reforms. She showcased international EPR cases (from Germany, France, South Korea and Japan), noting the importance of collaboration between Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) and local authorities. She also emphasised the role of economic tools like PAYT in incentivising waste separation and reduction.

Patarapol Tularak presenting a progress update on Thailand’s Draft Sustainable Packaging Management Act and the role of local municipalities

Patarapol Tularak, a consultant of MA-RE-DESIGN and the CAP SEA project, spoke about the progress of Thailand’s Draft Sustainable Packaging Management Act (last updated 31 January 2025). He outlined proposed legal structures, stakeholder roles (including those of local government) and the planned implementation timeline (by 2026-2027). The draft law aims to assign extended responsibilities to producers, define local authority mandates (e.g. for separating waste collection), and promote eco-design and reuse. He stressed the importance of early involvement and coordination among municipalities.

Dr Orathai speaking about the development of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) at Nong Khaem district, Bangkok

The afternoon session began with a presentation from Dr Orathai Pongraktham, Sustainability Affairs Director at Dow Thailand and Board Member of PPP Plastics. She presented a roadmap for developing Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) at Nong Khaem district. The model includes collaboration with local districts, integration of informal sector actors like junk shops and waste pickers, and digital innovations like the ‘Recycled Market’ platform. She also outlined multiple pilot models such as ‘No Mixed Waste’, the ‘Patumwan Model’ and Klongtoey Model’ as living examples of the Circular Economy in action.

Learning Through Dialogue

The workshop’s power lay in its interactive approach. As part of the capacity-building workshop, Chief Sustainability Officers and Chiefs of Public Cleansing and Public Parks from district offices, and representatives from the Environment Department actively participated in a breakout session designed to explore localized solutions for improving waste separation systems across Bangkok’s 50 districts.

Participants were divided into groups based on district clusters, allowing them to exchange experiences and challenges specific to their geographic and socio-economic contexts. Facilitated by GIZ and technical experts, the session encouraged each group to map out their current waste management policies, identify key bottlenecks in implementing the measures, and propose strategic actions aligned with upcoming MRF and EPR legislation.

Recurring themes across the groups included:

• The need for stronger enforcement of waste separation regulations at the household and building levels
• Limited public understanding and participation in waste-sorting practices
• Insufficient infrastructure, such as separate bins and collection routes
• Clear roles and responsibilities of local government indicated in the draft EPR registration
• The need for financial support from private sector or potential Producer Responsibility Organizations (PRO) to invest in human resources or the proper infrastructure e.g. small MRFs in each district cluster to prepare for the upcoming EPR scheme

The breakout session provided a platform for cross-district learning and fostered a sense of collective responsibility among the BMA’s frontline actors. Insights from the discussions will be compiled to inform both the city’s broader EPR implementation strategy and the drafting of supportive local regulations.

Breakout session photos