City aims to put an end to single-use plastics in 5 years

Nakhon Si Thammarat City Municipality aims to eliminate single-use plastics in five years’ time.

Dr Kanop Ketchart, mayor of Nakhon Si Thammarat City Municipality, announced the plan to cut all single-use plastic usage in the province by 2027.

To pursue this goal, Dr Kanop said the province launched a Plastic Waste Management Action Plan, which lays out a strategic roadmap to combat plastic pollution, on 21 Dec last year.

“One of the plan’s main objectives is to improve waste management as indicated in the action plan, by better ensuring the inclusion and protection of the informal sector in collection and recycling,” he said.

“The city intends to accomplish this [single-use plastic elimination goal] through assisting in organising these sometimes fragmented operators, providing medical benefits, offering training in safe and environmental practices and incentivising the use of good practices.” According to an assessment by the Plastic Pollution Calculator developed by the University of Leeds in the UK, it was found that every year Nakhon Si Thammarat City Municipality releases 9,000 tonnes of plastic into the ocean, while another 360 tonnes goes into in drains and waterways and will likely also make its way to the sea.

He said the findings from the Plastic Pollution Calculator were used to develop a Baseline Report on the city’s current plastic waste management situation, titled “Closing The Loop On Plastic Pollution in Nakhon Si Thammarat City Municipality, Thailand”.

The report was written by the city in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.

“We aim to close the loop of plastic waste at a rate of 100% by 2027 while also encouraging public involvement and participation among stakeholders to have a better understanding of plastic waste management,” he said.