Precious Plastic Bangkok is a community-based recycling initiative in Bangkok.

Precious Plastic Bangkok is a community-based recycling initiative that launched a plastic drop-off network across Bangkok to help clean up the city and change Thai attitudes towards plastic pollution. The group operates within the context of severe environmental challenges facing the capital, including high levels of air pollution from industrial emissions and traffic that contribute significantly to respiratory health issues among residents. Additionally, the city faces a critical waste management crisis characterized by excessive plastic consumption, with an average Thai using approximately eight plastic bags daily, and a food waste problem where a large portion of municipal waste is edible material that currently ends up in landfills. Precious Plastic Bangkok addresses these interconnected issues by promoting a circular economy model, which aims to minimize resource inputs and waste through strategies such as slowing, closing, and narrowing material loops. The initiative focuses on practical actions like community waste banks and upcycling activities to transform waste into valuable resources. While broader solutions include improving public transport, promoting car-free days, and investing in anaerobic digestion for food waste, Precious Plastic Bangkok specifically targets the plastic pollution aspect through its drop-off network, complementing other community efforts such as Scholars of Sustenance, which focuses on food redistribution and composting. The group's work aligns with local government bans on single-use plastic bags and broader initiatives by the Thai Chamber of Commerce to tackle both plastic and food waste, contributing to a regenerative system that benefits the environment, society, and economy in Bangkok.