(Repeats without changes)
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat
BANGKOK, June 21 (Reuters) - Thai zero-waste advocate
Thanaboon Somboon never leaves his home without what he calls a
full "weaponry" of reusable shopping bags, coffee tumblers and
stainless steel straws for his daily battle against single-use
plastic.
"I saw news of trash overflowing the world ... sea animals
dying from eating plastic ... I felt I must do something," says
the 48-year-old entrepreneur, who leads an online community of
more than 20,000 people seeking to practise a waste-free
lifestyle.
But individual efforts alone can't fully stop the 8 million
tonnes of plastic that make their way to the ocean each year,
and with four of the five worst ocean polluters in Southeast
Asia, the region's governments must take action, he says.
"Policymaking to address the issue must be treated with
urgency as well," said Thanaboon.
A summit for leaders of the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) being hosted by Thailand this
weekend is expected to adopt the Bangkok Declaration on
Combating Marine Debris in ASEAN Region.
Thailand, the current chair of the group, has lauded the
declaration as a "big step" for the region, whose coasts have
seen whales and sea turtles wash up dead in recent years with
large amounts of plastic rubbish in their stomachs.
ASEAN members Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and
Thailand are among the five countries throwing the most plastic
waste into oceans, according to a 2015 report co-authored by
environmental campaigner Ocean Conservancy.
China is the worst offender.
"Every ASEAN country agrees that marine debris is a common
problem that we must address urgently," Wijarn Simachaya,
permanent secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environment, told Reuters.
Unlike the European Union's central bans and targets, Wijarn
said the ASEAN declaration will outline broad ideas but it will
be up to each country what it would take home to implement.
The declaration will come ahead of next week's G20 summit in
Japan, which assembles 20 major economies and will also aim to
tackle marine plastic pollution.
WORDS ON PAPER?
Environmentalists welcomed ASEAN's move to adopt the joint
declaration, but there are worries that implementation will be a
challenge, because the group has a code of non-interference that
would leave necessary policymaking in the hands of individual
member countries.
"This declaration will be a new milestone, but it will be
just words on paper if there is no change in policies," Tara
Buakamsri, director of Greenpeace Thailand, told Reuters.
He said ASEAN countries should urgently all ban single-use
plastic first for the declaration to be effective. "There is no
other way," Tara said.
Globally, up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used
each year, according to the United Nations Environment
Programme. Of 300 million tonnes of plastic waste the world
produces annually, 8 million end up in the oceans, killing
marine life and entering the human food chain, it says.
According to Ocean Conservancy, 60 percent of the debris
comes from China and the four ASEAN nations.
"It's a good step as this is the first time ASEAN formally
acknowledges the issue of marine debris," said marine biologist
Thon Thamrongnawasawat.
Each year, Thailand generates about 2 million tonnes of
plastic waste, only about 25% of which gets recycled. The rest
goes to incineration or landfill, where about 50,000 to 60,000
tonnes leaks into the ocean.
Environmentalists commend initiatives by some major
retailers to cut back on plastic bags, but say most businesses
will not take action unless there is a stricter push from policy
initiatives.
CP All CPALL.BK , which operates over 10,000 7-Eleven
convenience stores across the country, said it has saved 464
million bags from circulation since December, donating more than
92 million baht saved from the process to public hospitals
around the country.
Thailand's largest retail conglomerate Central Group said
last month it aimed to reduce plastic bags by 150 million this
year by giving customers rewards incentives.
Governments should "act more drastically" by introducing
immediate bans on single-use plastic so that more businesses
follow suit, said Nattapong Nithi-Uthai, who leads volunteer
network Trash Hero that cleans up the Gulf of Thailand in
southern Pattani province.
He also said ASEAN should aim to significantly improve its
waste management schemes, as well as hold producers of consumer
goods accountable.
"There should be designated places for every single item to
go. If things are piled up somewhere, they can leak into the
ocean," he said.
"Producers should also be made responsible for taking back
the single-use plastic they produce ... This might make them
think twice about producing single-use packaging."