Thailand's Plastic Roadmap Has a 2027 Deadline. Here's What Your Venue Can Do Before It Arrives.

The Plastic Waste Management Roadmap 2018 to 2030 is Thailand's main policy framework on plastics. It has two headline goals: reduce and phase out targeted plastics in favour of environmentally friendly substitutes, and bring 100 percent of targeted plastic waste back into use by 2027. Plastic straws are among the single-use items the roadmap has targeted for phase-out since 2022.

In practice, Thailand still has no outright legal ban on selling plastic straws of the kind seen in the EU or Canada. What exists is the roadmap, voluntary commitments from major retailers and chains, and pressure from guests and corporate buyers that grows every year. Thailand generated around 2.88 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2024, and this September Bangkok hosts the heads-of-delegation meeting for the global plastics treaty.

A checklist for procurement

If you handle procurement for a hotel or restaurant group, here is a short checklist you can use today.

1. Count first. How many straws per month, by size. That number becomes the "plastic avoided" line in your report.
2. Test on the real menu. A straw that is fine in water may fail in a smoothie or a stirred cocktail. Get samples in several sizes and let the bar team judge.
3. Ask for paperwork. A supplier should be able to show compostability and safety certificates, not just the word "eco" on a bag.
4. Think about hygiene. Individually wrapped straws answer guest and inspector questions more easily than loose ones.
5. Cost per drink, not per straw. A straw that goes soft means a second straw. A straw that lasts the whole drink means one.

RECO sugarcane straws are made from sugar-mill bagasse and plant-based bioplastic, come in three sizes, are individually paper-wrapped, and do not go soft in the glass.