thailand

Thailand Bans Plastic Waste Imports in Effort to Curb Toxic Pollution

Thailand Bans Plastic Waste Imports in Effort to Curb Toxic Pollution

Following years of campaigning by environmental activists, Thailand has banned foreign imports of plastic waste due to concerns about toxic pollution. Experts warn that the failure to reach an agreement on a global treaty to eliminate plastic waste will have adverse impacts on human health, reported The Guardian. “The ban on imports will help stimulate […]

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    Thailand Begins the New Year With Plastic Bag Ban

    Thailand Begins the New Year With Plastic Bag Ban

    Thailand rang in 2020 with an effort to tackle the plastic crisis filling the country’s waste sites and choking its waterways. The country’s ban on plastic bags at major retailers began as soon as the clock struck midnight in Bangkok. A complete ban of bags that includes smaller shops will go into effect in 2021, […]

    6 Elephants Die After Plunging off a Waterfall in Thailand

    6 Elephants Die After Plunging off a Waterfall in Thailand

    Never underestimate an elephant‘s ability to steal our hearts. That happened on Saturday in Thailand when five elephants died while trying to rescue a three-year-old calf that was swept away in a rushing river, as The New York Times reported. Workers at Khao Yai National Park in central Thailand heard elephant calls from Samor Poon […]

    Toxic Air Forces Thai Officials to Close 400+ Bangkok Schools

    Toxic Air Forces Thai Officials to Close 400+ Bangkok Schools

    Air pollution levels in Bangkok have gotten so bad that the city’s governor, Police General Asawin Kwanmuang, ordered more than 400 schools to close through Friday. “We decided to eliminate the problem by closing down the schools,” Asawin said, as The Associated Press reported. “We’re afraid that it can be dangerous for the children.” Asawin […]

    Man Playing Piano to Comfort Blind Elephants Is All We Need Right Now

    Man Playing Piano to Comfort Blind Elephants Is All We Need Right Now

    Update, Nov. 7: Following the publication of this post, EcoWatch received feedback from PETA and readers stating that Elephants World is not a sanctuary because its treatment of elephants includes the use of bullhooks and visitors sitting on the elephants’ backs. We contacted Elephants World and a representative said that their mahouts use bullhooks to […]

    Thailand to Ban Imports of Plastics and E-Waste

    Thailand to Ban Imports of Plastics and E-Waste

    Thailand has joined Vietnam and Malaysia in cracking down on the world’s trash. Thailand will stop accepting more than 400 types of electronic waste (e-waste), including circuit boards, old TVs and radios, within six months, an environment ministry official told Reuters. The decision was made Wednesday at a meeting chaired by Surasak Kanchanarat, the environment […]

    Plastic Shreds, Rubber Bands and Balloon Pieces Found in Thai Turtle

    Plastic Shreds, Rubber Bands and Balloon Pieces Found in Thai Turtle

    Plastic waste is being blamed for the death of a green turtle found on the eastern province of Chanthaburi in Thailand. The turtle washed up on the beach on June 4, Weerapong Laovechprasit, a veterinarian at the Eastern Marine and Coastal Resource Research and Development Centre told AFP. X-rays on the reptile revealed a blockage […]

    Whale’s Tragic Death by Plastic Bags a Reminder of a Global Crisis

    Whale’s Tragic Death by Plastic Bags a Reminder of a Global Crisis

    A pilot whale died in southern Thailand last week after swallowing 17 pounds of plastic waste, despite a five-day effort to save the animal’s life. A necropsy revealed that the plastic debris, which included 80 plastic bags, clogged the whale’s stomach, Reuters reported. The whale was found in critical condition in a canal near Thailand’s […]