Plastic wastes has become a global problem, and Thailand produces about two million tonnes of plastic waste per year, around 12% of total waste. The purpose of this article is to examine the causes of plastic waste in Thailand, to study the goals of Thailand’s Roadmap on Plastic Waste Management 2018-2030 and Master Plan on Solid Waste Management 2016-2021, to examine the SDGs Goal 12 regarding waste reduction and sustainable consumption and production, and to investigate the principles of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP). Documentary study and literature review were used for data collection. Plastics waste and pollutions and inappropriate waste management have caused a lot of problems to people and communities and they cause contamination and residual cumulative impacts on the environment. The result showed that single-use plastics was a major factor of increasing plastic waste, especially during and after COVID-19, and inappropriate waste management has accounted for negative impacts on public well-being, communities, and environment. Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, when being applied to waste management, could play an important role in changing consumer’s behavior towards waste reduction because it influenced individuals to be aware of the impacts that their actions and consumptions may have on the environment, and subsequently their livelihoods. Thus, SEP will promote the ban of single-use plastic under the Roadmap, strengthen the waste management of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) under the Master Plan, and contribute to sustainable consumption and production under SDG Goal 12.
Beverage bottle capacity, packaging efficiency, and the potential for plastic waste reduction
