(Bangkok Post file photo)Smoking will soon be banned on 20 popular tourist beaches found to be constantly littered with huge numbers of discarded cigarette butts, according to the chief of marine and coastal resources. The move comes ahead of an international conference on sea waste in Phuket later this month, Thai media reported. Department director-general Jatuporn Buruspat also said it was estimated that more than 100 million cigarette butts were left on the roads in the major cities of Thailand each day. All other beaches were expected to be included into this ban in the future, he said. His department is also considering measures to curb a related problem - cigarette butts being dropped into the sea from the boats.

Source: Bangkok Post October 10, 2017 04:41 UTC