Thailand Struggles with Plastic Waste – A Global Agreement Could Be the Solution

During late Summer 2025, after the failure of INC-5.2 negotiations, which aimed to finalize a legally binding instrument on Plastic Waste and related pollution, including the marine environment, Internationalis spoke with Varsha Chandralal, Project Manager at Seven Clean Seas . She shared some striking information about pollution in Thailand and the necessity for a Global Agreement that might help tackle the numerous environmental challenges her country and the world are facing.

“For many years, I worked in sustainability within the construction sector in Qatar, contributing to
some of the country’s most ambitious projects, including the FIFA World Cup 2022. It was
meaningful work — shaping infrastructure with an eye toward greener futures. But I wanted to
focus on an issue that touched not just buildings and cities, but the very air we breathe, the
water we drink, and the oceans we depend on. That’s when I found my way to Seven Clean
Seas.”

We all use plastic every day, often without thinking, but the consequences are devastating. It doesn’t just litter our landscapes; it breaks down into fragments that enter rivers, seas, food, and even our blood.

“Plastic pollution struck me because it is so visible and yet so overlooked. We all use plastic
every day, often without thinking, but the consequences are devastating. It doesn’t just litter our
landscapes; it breaks down into fragments that enter rivers, seas, food, and even our blood.
Once I understood the scale of this crisis, I knew this was where I wanted to make a difference.
In Thailand, I spent time along the Chao Phraya River, observing how plastic moves through the
water and communities. I watched bottles, wrappers, and foam containers drifting downstream,
but what they really carried was a bigger story. Waste is not just waste: it affects the people who
live with it every day. Fishermen untangle plastic from their nets, families cope with clogged
canals, and burning trash pollutes the air they breathe. It also showed me why our work matters,
because solving plastic pollution means protecting both people and the planet.”

Seven Clean Seas was founded in 2018 after the founders, Tom Peacock-Nazil and Pamela Correia, witnessed similar scenes in Thailand: a pristine beach transformed into a polluted one overnight. What began as a small community cleanup grew into an ocean impact organization tackling plastic at its source. Since then, Seven Clean Seas has recovered more than 5.7 million kilograms of plastic across Southeast Asia. But numbers only tell part of the story. Through this work, nearly 18,600 lives have been improved with safer jobs, healthier communities, education, and circular systems that give waste a second life.

More than 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced every single year, of which an estimated 20 million end up polluting our environment. Plastic has been found in the environment (air, water, soil, ice), in food and drinks, and even inside the human body (blood, lungs, etc.)

Varsha also informs about a flagship initiative in Thailand, namely the HIPPO (High Impact Plastic Pollution RemOver), a solar-powered vessel deployed in 2024 to intercept plastic waste from the Chao Phraya. HIPPO
collects waste using tidal flows and conveyor systems before it can reach the ocean.

“Everything we recover is sorted and sent to our partner, Wat Chak Daeng, a community-led temple facility.
Together, we ensure nothing re-enters the environment, and what can’t be recycled is transformed into refuse-derived fuel, aligning with Thailand’s circular economy goals. The HIPPO also taught us a powerful lesson: the river doesn’t always carry waste in straight streams. Much of it settles in hidden corners — in gates, mangroves, and canals. That insight shaped our next step: expanding upstream, into places like Bang Kachao, where intervention makes a bigger impact.”

Only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled, while more than 20% leaks into nature.

“But in August this year, INC 5.2 failed. Another chance at a global treaty on plastic pollution ended
without agreement. Why does it matter?”Because while leaders debate, our oceans continue to choke. Only 0.41% of global development finance is going into waste management — the single most important foundation for solving the crisis. Without funding, a treaty risks being just words on paper. At Seven Clean Seas, we’re not waiting for permission. We are building solutions, scaling infrastructure, and creating impact where it’s needed most. Our goal is simple, but urgent: an ocean without plastic. The treaty may have failed, but the fight hasn’t. In fact, it is more important than ever. When I look out over the river now, I don’t just see the plastic. I see what’s possible: a future where rivers run clear, livelihoods are protected, and children grow up free from the burden of toxic smoke or waste-choked waterways. An ocean free of plastic may sound like a dream. But it is a dream worth fighting for — and one I believe is still within our reach,” concludes Varsha Chandralal, Project Manager at Seven Clean Seas