I started this article before the virus hit and was feeling Thailand's celebratory backslapping over its plastic bag ban needed looking into.
I wanted to hear from the people who called for the initiative and ask them what more needed to be done.
It became apparent that the pandemic was creating vast amounts of single use plastic waste so I re-angled the piece, just before publication on regional news site Coconuts, to reflect this.
During lockdown Bangkok city authorities reported an explosion in levels of plastic waste as people relied on home deliveries and huge numbers of contaminated face masks piled up.
When the country re-opened, it became obvious the economy and society's wasteful attitude to plastic had not gone away.
I met with six grassroots environmental change-makers to hear how the battle against single-use plastic has gone and what’s next to protect our environment from plastic peril.
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| Photo: Warawat Sabhavasu |
Warawat "Bibb" Sabhavasu of Trash Hero Bangkok volunteered to care for Mariam the Dugong, who won and then broke Thai hearts with her internet videos showing cute antics and her subsequent death from ingesting plastic waste.
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| Photo: Baramee Temboonkiat / Greenpeace |
Tara Buakamsri, Country Director for Greenpeace helps orchestrate campaigns on plastic pollution in Thailand and wants the public to connect their use of throwaway plastic to the bigger environmental picture.
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| Photo: Grin Green International |
Almost done with school, Marlena Wilson runs Grin Green International - a school based NGO with a mission to rid Thailand of single use plastic. Here she is at a climate strike.
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| Photo: Biel Calderon / Greenpeace |
Bored in class, Nanticha “Lynn” Ocharoenchai was inspired by Greta Thunberg to found the group Climate Strike Thailand and feels people need to understand that climate change is about much more than plastic bags.
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| Photo: Ewen Mcleish |
Chanin “Nammon” Srisuma is one of the faces behind Refill Station, the shop-cum-cafe which allows customers to purchase toiletries and household products in pre-loved containers brought from home.
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| Photo: Prasopsuk Lerdviriyapiti |
Prasopsuk Lerdviriyapiti, aka Eco-Artist Pom, has spent the last 15 years creating art to highlight the plastic tide engulfing Thailand’s seas. She uses plastic waste from Phuket's beaches to put together her masterpieces.
