BANGKOK, Thailand – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suchart Chomklin has launched a nationwide effort to reduce food waste, citing its role as a major source of methane emissions in Thailand. Speaking at a policy seminar for the “MNRE Zero Food Waste” project, organized by the Pollution Control Department, Suchart called for government agencies under his ministry to serve as early adopters of zero-waste practices, with visible progress expected within four months.
Thailand produces around 10 million tons of food waste each year, making it one of the leading contributors to methane emissions, a greenhouse gas with 28 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide. The government views food waste reduction as a key environmental and climate strategy, with MNRE agencies set to lead by example before the program expands to other public offices, state enterprises, and private sector organizations nationwide.
Pollution Control Department Director-General Surin Warakijthamrong reported that in 2024, Thailand generated an estimated 27 million tons of solid waste, more than one-third of which was food waste. This contributed roughly 2.53 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in greenhouse gas emissions. Cutting food waste in half could reduce those emissions by approximately 1.27 million tons—equivalent to the environmental impact of planting 106 million trees.
Surin also noted that redirecting just half of all discarded food could feed up to 10 million vulnerable individuals across the country, making food waste reduction not only an environmental issue but also a matter of food security and social equity.
The government plans to use the pilot results to develop scalable models that support both climate goals and public welfare. (NNT)
