Will plastic guns save the economy? Bangkok made the decision by blockading the Strait of Hormuz

The authorities of the Thai capital, Bangkok, have decided to recycle plastic water guns used during the Songkran festival, the Japanese portal Nikkei Asia reported. This is intended to help alleviate raw material shortages caused by disruptions in oil supplies resulting from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Instead of dumping tons of abandoned plastic water guns in landfills, we will process them into raw gasoline and plastic pellets,” said Pornphrom Vikitsreth, an adviser to the governor of Bangkok.

SCG Chemicals is responsible for waste collection and processing. The company, which emphasizes that this is the first cooperation of this type, will use the obtained raw material to produce chairs, flower pots, food packaging and even medical equipment.

Songkran, the Thai New Year, is celebrated with giant water fights that symbolize ritual blessings and the washing away of misfortunes. This game leaves huge amounts of waste behind. According to official figures, last year Bangkok generated 141 tonnes of plastic waste over the three days of the festival. This amounted to 31 percent. the total mass of the capital's waste in this period.

Nikkei Asia notes that the Thai authorities are looking for alternative markets for importing raw materials, including from Russia. This is the result of the outbreak of the war between the United States and Israel with Iran at the end of February, which resulted in an increase in the costs of producing plastic products.

On major commodity exchanges, the price of polyethylene – a material commonly used to produce bags, water bottles and cups – has increased by over 30% since the beginning of the year. In turn, polypropylene, from which, among others, straws and bottle caps, the price increased by over 50%. – according to data from the Trading Economics portal quoted by Nikkei Asia.

Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

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