Thai retailers kicked off 2020 with a ban on single-use plastic bags, joining the battle against throwaway carriers in the Southeast Asian nation where citizens go through an average of eight every day.

The move, taken on Wednesday by several major mall operators and the 7/11 convenience stores, will see customers instead paying a small fee for a reusable bag made of a cloth-like fabric.

The European Commission estimates some 70 percent of plastic waste clogs the world's oceans, killing a range of species from turtles, seals, whales and seabirds to fish and shellfish.

© AFP