There will be no more free plastic bags in 75 department stores and 24,500 shops nationwide including 7/11 and Family Mart starting January 1 this year.
On Wednesday marked the first day of the ban on single use plastic bags implemented by around 75 brands under the Thai Retailers Association to reduce plastic waste. The ban includes 7-Eleven and Family Mart stores where the lavish handing out of plastic bags in the past has been a running joke (it hasn’t stopped just about everything you buy in the stores being wrapped in plastic yet), the Thaiger reported.
The move is in line with Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa’s top priorities which is reducing the amount of single-use plastic bags. The campaign titled “Every Day Say No to Plastic Bags” has attracted 75 department stores and 24,500 shops nationwide.
The ban aims to reduce around 13.5 billion plastic bags, previously handed out to shoppers, or 30% of plastic bags used in Thailand annually, ending up in land fill. Or worse, on our beaches, waterways or the ocean.
Sources: The Thaiger, Bangkok Post