As much as 428,000 tonnes of plastic waste are handled outside reliable waste management services in Thailand every year, causing plastic waste to accumulate and be discarded in nature. Part of this is plastic bottles, of which the country produces more than four billion every year.
The need for plastic bottles of drinking water is significant, as there are few areas in Thailand where tap water is safe to drink, and water filters are a luxury that few can afford. This is the background to the Bottle Free Seas project, which has led to the installation of several drinking water stations around Bangkok. In addition to giving people access to clean water, it has made it easier for residents to reuse bottles they have already bought.
The water stations give people in the Thai capital easier access to clean water. Photo: Runar Lindseth
– Great success
“With funding from The Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund, we have installed ten of our water stations in the city, which has proven to be a great success.”
Jarunee Jarusruangchai, coordinator at Bottle Free Seas, says that the initiative was created in response to Bangkok residents' frustration over the lack of clean drinking water. The stations have now been installed at a handful of popular meeting places around the city, including the popular Benjakitti Forest park.
“This station has been operating since August 2023, and we have saved around 100,000 plastic bottles at this station alone. We hope that we can save one million plastic bottles a year,” smiles Jarusruangchai.
Bottle Free Seas Coordinator, Jarunee Jarusruangchai, says they have already saved thousands of bottles as a result of the project. Photo: Runar Lindseth
Can be tested internationally
The international organisation The Environmental Justice Foundation is behind Bottle Free Seas, which is a further development of the project Net Free Seas – an initiative aimed at cleaning Thailand’s marine areas of lost fishing gear.
Coordinator Jarusruangchai believes the water station project has significant potential and says that the success they have seen in Bangkok means it can be piloted in other countries.
“This concept has been tested, and it works! It has become very popular, and it has saved many plastic bottles. I cannot imagine that this would not work elsewhere as well.”
