Viroj said Phuket has seen an increase in plastic during Covid-19 despite declining tourist numbers, as consumers have switched to food delivery services.
The scheme worked with restaurants and the food delivery sector, as well as raising public awareness of the problem, he added. The Marine Conservation Volunteer Network, 30 government agencies, and public, private, and civic organizations lent a hand. PEF also collaborated with food delivery app Tamsang-Tamsong to cut plastic packaging.
"The foundation also supported eight groups of volunteer beach cleanups who collected more than 3,000 kilograms of debris," he said.
The Office of Marine and Coastal Resources created a database to track collected beach trash to prevent it from further entering the sea.
