The Collaborative Actions for Single-Use Plastic Prevention in Southeast Asia (CAP SEA) – Thailand Component

CONTEXT

Between 2017 and 2019, preceding the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangkok’s waste management landscape indicated an annual average waste collection of 3.87 million tonnes. During the period from 2020 to 2021, significant changes in lifestyle behaviours due to the pandemic notably reduced commercial and industrial activities, leading to a decrease in the annual waste collection volume to 3.32 million tonnes. By 2022, although the severity of the outbreak had subsided, a full return to normalcy remained elusive, culminating in an annual waste collection of 3.27 million tonnes.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has implemented the 3R principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) to manage waste across all 50 districts with the goal of minimising the amount of waste sent to landfills. Additionally, it aims to promote waste reduction and separation at the source, emphasising recycling as the primary mechanism for reducing waste volume. Regarding the strategy for upstream waste management to prevent single-use plastic waste in Bangkok, policies and practices will be established to incentivise behavioural changes towards efficient resource use. Examples include promoting incentives for reuse to reduce the use of single-use packaging.

Building upon these achievements of CAP SEA Phase 1 (2020 – 2023), CAP SEA Phase 2 will sustain its efforts to reduce single-use plastic waste with a clear focus on upstream strategies of prevention and preparation for re-use at the city level until March 2025.

OBJECTIVE

Alleviating the waste and pollution management challenges Bangkok faces, especially a substantial reduction in single-use plastic waste

APPROACHES

Institutional Framework

• Supporting to the city’s Sustainable Environmental Development and Climate Change Strategy No. 2, embedded within the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s 20-year development plan, Phase 3 (B.E. 2566 – 2570). This aligns with the Plastic Waste Management Action Plan (B.E. 2561 – 2573), featuring a pivotal measure to curtail plastic waste generation at its source and during consumption—an integral policy in the nation’s plastic waste management.
• Providing technical expertise and global best practices concerning Single-Use Plastic (SUP) mitigation to personnel within BMA by establishing networks of private sector entities, pertinent national governmental agencies, non-governmental organisations, as well as esteemed national and international experts specialised in pollution control and waste management, such as the Öko Institute, Export Initiative Environmental Protection (EXI) Programme, Pollution Control Department (PCD), and the Marine Litter Prevention through Reduction, Sustainable Design, and Recycling of Plastic Packaging (MA-RE-DESIGN) project, in order to achieve the project’s objectives.
• Enhancing the capacity of BMA as the primary organisation for preventing and reducing the use of single-use plastics in Bangkok through strategic measures. These include disseminating knowledge, developing policy recommendations, implementing pilot areas, and facilitating access to international networks.

Project Implementation

• Supporting the development of potable water standards at drinking water refill points within an urban area: Development of an online mapping service for water refill stations, improvement of hygiene protocols, development of a reporting mechanism, and implementation of a monitoring system. These initiatives collectively aim to reduce the prevalence of single-use water bottles within the urban area.
• Developing and piloting a guideline to reduce SUP consumption in schools: investigate potential strategies for preventing and reducing the use of single-use plastic packaging within and in the vicinity of schools in Bangkok through the development of practical guidelines and communication
• Examination of pre-conditions for Deposit Return System (DRS) implementation: Undertaking a comprehensive study to identify the necessary conditions for establishing a DRS based on reverse vending machines in Bangkok, with a focus on PET bottle packaging.
• Development of a reuse and/or DRS: Formulating comprehensive guidelines for the implementation of a DRS pertaining to reusable packaging within the context of events and festivals in Bangkok.

RESULT SO FAR

• The Design for Recycling (D4R) Guidelines document, developed by the CAP SEA project, was approved by the Conformity Assessment Committee on December 27, 2023. For more details, please refer to the document.
• Baseline data collection on single-use plastic (SUP) consumption in schools and events, and drafting reports on best practices to reduce SUP at local events.

FINANCED BY

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV)

COUNTRY

Thailand

PROJECT PARTNERS

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)

PROJECT DURATION

04/2023 – 03/2025