Riccardo Liguori After years of battles by activists, Thailand has finally banned the import of plastic waste. An important victory, but one that does not solve the problem of plastic pollution in the country. Challenges and obstacles to overcome for a truly sustainable future
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For many years, Thailand was among the major recipients of plastic waste from industrialized countries, turning the country into a massive open-air dump with the unending flow of shipping containers packed with plastic waste.
Things took a turn for the worse in 2018 when China refused to accept other countries’ trash. Thailand, like several other Southeast Asian countries, turned out to be incapable of handling an immense amount of plastic that resulted in catastrophic environmental and public health consequences.
Rivers clogged with trash, poisoned soil, and unbreathable air: Thailand paid a high price for its “hospitality” toward foreign plastic waste. But the alarm raised by citizens and environmental organizations did not fall on deaf ears. The Thai government decided to take action by banning the import of plastic waste. This decision required significant political and social commitment, but Thailand has proven that an alternative is possible.
The ban’s challenges: illegal trafficking and domestic pollution
The import ban is a significant step forward, but by no means an instantaneous solution to the plastic wastes problem. In the words of Penchom Sae-Tang, director of Ecological Alert and Recovery-Thailand (Earth), “there must be efficient monitoring and strict enforcement of the law to prevent plastic waste from entering the country illegally.”
If not fully prevented, the risks of illegal trafficking arise. Some criminal organizations could take advantage of such a situation to smuggle plastic wastes into Thailand, passing through controls with environmental and public health damages.
Besides this, however, Thailand has its own domestic plastic pollution to deal with. The ban on imports hasn’t changed the fact that the country is one of the world’s largest producers of plastic waste. Only a small portion of that is recycled, the rest either goes to landfills or into the ocean.
Shifting to a circular economy
For such a challenge, Thailand has rolled out a package of policies on the reduction of plastic production, promotion of recycling, and the need for awareness in living a sustainable life. Such incentives as encouraging businesses using recycled materials, conducting environmental education in schools, and investing in recycling facilities.
But perhaps more fundamentally, this is a cultural change. It’s about Thailand’s promoting the shift in attitude: reducing the use of plastics, reusing items, and proper separation at the source of recyclable waste.
An example to the world?
Thailand, however, has shown that there is another way different from the “throwaway culture.” The ban on plastic imports sends a strong signal that could lead other countries to follow a similar path. But the greatest challenge is still ahead: to create a development model that will give priority to environmental protection and human well-being. A model in which plastic is not a problem but a resource.
