Thailand to declare war on plastic bags - by charging for them

[impulse]

10 minutes ago, Colabamumbai said:

Just give everyone a large reusable cloth bag. Mine has worked for 20 years.

 

Then I'd just have to buy the plastic bags for my garbage.  As it is, the ones I get from TESCO and BigC are the ideal size to keep about a day's worth of kitchen scraps, reminding me to take them down the 5 flights every day before they go off in the tropical heat.  I haven't had to BUY plastic garbage bags since the first batch I purchased 6 years ago- larger bags that I use a few times a year when the trash is bigger than kitchen scraps.

 

I don't object to paying for those bags, but I would object to doing away with them altogether.  Not all of us live on enough land to compost or (God forbid) burn our trash.

 

Edited December 17, 2017 by impulse

[cmiuc]

Really doesn't need a war... just pull bags off the shelf of wholesalers, tell stores put them away or be fine... no war needed... now if you want to say, "Thailand Declared war on Plastic by making money on them" then ok, thats the plan... not the solution... go to Makro... see any bags? the one you buy and bring back... so the 'war solution' is not the answer, it will just dip deeper into our pockets... but I know when I go to Makro... I either bring my bag or I carry it out by  hand.... and if I still need a bag..then I pay 30 baht for another... but I've only done that once... and it didn't dig into my pocket.  this way thats planned will.... denial is the solution...  then 1) someone will create an environmentally safe solution and 2) it won't cost us arms and legs...

 

so... my TV Opinion... 

[Skeptic7]

3 hours ago, djayz said:

Finally!!!!! Most sensible thing I've read in a long time! Charge ฿10 or ฿15 a bag. That'll make a lot of people think twice before take a bag.

But, I vaguely remember them wanting to charge for bags years ago and the proposal was dropped because some n*bj*b thought that charging for plastic bags would "not be good for tourism because tourists wouldn't want to pay for the bags". ?

While agreed this is a good idea, highly doubtful the price per bag will be B10-15. More likely B2-3 per, with high end of B5 each.

[impulse]

6 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

While agreed this is a good idea, highly doubtful the price per bag will be B10-15. More likely B2-3 per, with high end of B5 each.

 

In China, I pay anywhere from 0.5 RMB to 1 RMB per bag, which is around 2-5 baht.  10-15 baht would be pretty punitive toward poor folks.  Not that they couldn't plan around it, but I know I don't always leave the house prepared for shopping, carrying around a stanky bag or 5 all day- just in case I decide to buy some fresh veggies on my way back home from a day's activities. 

 

That's one of the joys of living in Thailand- I do the shopping day to day and get fresh stuff, not a week's worth at a time.

 

Edited December 17, 2017 by impulse

[anon467367354]

charging for them is a good start, although the smart thing to do would be to make them biodegradable by making them out of hemp oil rather than petroleum.

Another upside to making them from hemp oil is they wouldn't be toxic when putting hot oily food into them.

 

[Airbagwill]

yet again Thailand is trying to walk before they can run.

 

They seem to love offering little snippets of western culture as the "silver bullet" cure for whatever ills they have identified.

Rather than research the problem and offer a practical solution, some nabob emerges with an idea he/she concocted a few minutes before and then attempts to implement it.

 

they've being doing it with crime, road safety, the environment and now plastic bags!

 

the reality is that Thailand is not a fully developed country (it should be!) and suffers from the concomitant ills of such countries. One of the problems is that plastic bags are an integral part of survival for the poorest people int he country - it contains food , drink water etc in a  way that would otherwise either cost more or be impractical. every street vendor relies on little plastic bags for their business.

As with most of the posters on this thread who see plastic bags only as an aid to supermarket shopping, Middle class shoppers may be able to fork out for them as a luxury but for the bootless and unhorsed they are a daily necessity....Those with little or no money NEED plastic bags to survive nowadays.

 

Rather than copy the WEST, thailand should be looking at the root causes and the real problems caused by plastic bags.

 

The main problem is that the country simply hasn't got a decent waste disposal system and plastic bags that become part of the waste are not properly contained and so take to the wind and spread everywhere.

Rather than yet again penalise the poor, it would be a good idea for the authorities to think seriously about how waste - both industrial and domestic, is handled and do something that would actually make a difference.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2017 by Airbagwill

[hobobo]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I totally agree. Thais tend to put anything in a plastic bag, even when it really isn't needed. Maybe when it is costing them money, they will think twice before throwing them away in the streets or waterways.

And why stop there... After a year or two, introduce a bill to fine anyone throwing a plastic bag anywhere except into specially designated "bagtrays" 100,000 baht and a year in jail!

[masuk]

I've used my cotton "Woolworths" bag as often as I can when shopping in Chiang Mai.   

A recent visit to Ubon Ratchathani amazed me with the 'plastic' highways.  Plastic bags lining the roads for many km.

In China all plastic bags must be paid for.

The largest hardware chain in Australia has not used plastic bags for years.  If you need a container, they have a large bin filled with their used boxes and cartons, ready for customers to use.

[madmitch]

The headline is a bit premature. At this stage the concept is just an idea from a conference.

 

The next stages are for the Government to take action, followed by compliance by the retailers. Neither are foregone conclusions, but we can hope.

[Destiny1990]

Finally..

[hobobo]

3 hours ago, tonray said:

5 baht per bag for Thais, 10 baht for Farang ?

Not a good idea, Thai customers would try to flog them to farangs for 8 baht apiece

[ebean001]

Charging more may help but not by too much. The answer is

Biodegradable Paper Bags

 

They need to replace plastic altogether. do you really think the drink guy will charge you for the little plastic bag that holds your drink cup? No...he will eat the cost or charge you 5 b more.

Biodegradable Paper Bags are available. Countries need to use them to lower the coat.

I do not know anymore on this subject but I did read it takes 180 days for the bag to degrade.

 

 

[bananafish]

This is long overdue. 

[impulse]

11 minutes ago, ebean001 said:

Biodegradable Paper Bags are available. Countries need to use them to lower the coat.

I do not know anymore on this subject but I did read it takes 180 days for the bag to degrade.

 

Or 5 minutes if the contents are a cold, sweating bottle in the tropical heat.  I can't count the number of times I've had the bottom fall out of a paper bag between the store and home, back in the good ol' days when plastic bags weren't even an option.   But, I'm dating myself now... 

 

And come to think of it, the litter problem in the USA was 10x worse back then- before plastic bags.  So I'm of the belief that the anti-litter campaigns with stiff fines for violations were the real solution- along with significant investment in solid waste management.  Not reducing consumer choices.

 

Edit:  Not to mention, try hanging a paper bag off the handlebar of a scooter for a few km...  It's not like back home where everyone has a car with a back seat- if not a big trunk to haul groceries.

 

Edited December 17, 2017 by impulse

[whaleboneman]

3 hours ago, colinneil said:

Long overdue, plastic bag use is getting seriously out of hand.

Last week i was in Global house buying blue pipe fittings.

I had 4 different types (only 16 pieces) everyone could fit in my hand, girl put them in 4 different bags, then put the 4 bags in another bag, bloody crazy. 1 bag was enough.

well why didn't you just tell her 1 bag???

[bluesofa]

3 hours ago, Xonax said:

Let them charge a small amount for plastic bags, but at the same time Thailand need to get a proper recycling system in place.  Garbage Recycling plants is long overdue in Thailand, while they are investing in submarines and high-speed trains.

It is just a myth, that cotton / canvas bags are better for the environment than plastic bags.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/09/to-tote-or-note-to-tote/498557/

http://www.businessinsider.com/reusable-tote-bags-are-worse-than-plastic-2016-11

I'm in agreement with your comment about a (proper) recycling system for Thailand.

 

Having followed your links about it being a myth that other bags are no better than plastic:
From the way I read it, it seems to be the fact that people are buying/being given these other types of bag, but doing just the same with them as plastic bags - accumulating them at home, rather than making the effect to use them as they were intended.

It looks like there are a lot of people just making a gesture by 'investing' in canvas bags and doing no more than that, rather than keeping them in their car or taking them with them when shopping.

 

 

[Capt Rob]

12 minutes ago, ebean001 said:

Charging more may help but not by too much. The answer is

Biodegradable Paper Bags

 

They need to replace plastic altogether. do you really think the drink guy will charge you for the little plastic bag that holds your drink cup? No...he will eat the cost or charge you 5 b more.

Biodegradable Paper Bags are available. Countries need to use them to lower the coat.

I do not know anymore on this subject but I did read it takes 180 days for the bag to degrade.

 

 

A good post but but further to it   : -   telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/24/seafood-eaters-ingest-11000-tiny-pieces-plastic-every-year-study/

Which means that we fish/ animal consumers will eventually ( perhaps already ? ) experience some difficulties from plastics.

[SymS]

I see more discarded packagings then plastic bags in the streets. While I agree both are issues, plastic are also useful to as trash bags.
Education may be key. When I was in Japan, I don't remember having to pay for plastic bag, yet I did not see any discarded in the streets. The exception being in some tourist areas, as local don't use trashbins, but instead take their trash with them back home. Something that foreign tourists may not be accustomed to, so they just throw garbage.

[PEE TEE]

good news .why not make the next trend of plastic bags bio degradable . all the rubbish bags i buy are just that

[chezy86]

Totally agree in principle for the charge but how about going one better and use bio degradable products I read somewhere bags can be made from yukka plants which are equally as strong and if they get into the waterways/ sea will bio degrade and fish and marine life can even eat them.

[shaurene]

A large Super market in New Zealand did this some years back "Pack N Save. And over the last 5 yrs they have been given the lowest price chain in NZ. They charge 5cents per bag. I consider But g C the worst, and 7/11. They even put a little chic bar in a bag. Big C put small amounts into 1 bag. I transfer these into one of the other bags. You can buy green bags at the checkout in NZ. Most people bring their own bags.

Friendship Super market in Pattaya tried it few years back 10 baht a bag but they 

stopped it not long after. 10 baht was a bit much.

Hope they do it and reduce their prices a little as they would save so much money. But knowing them that will not happen.

[peperobi]

Ha, ha, ha so many years they discuss it, and???

"Representatives from the plastics industry said it was not their fault"

I suspect that they paid the employers of the stores to give away as many bags as possible....

[tonray]

1 hour ago, sahibji said:

why different price for the Farang?

Because Cheap Charlie will re-use the bags by cutting them into condoms ?

[tonray]

2 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

Tesco give you extra points if you take your own bag , my wife has used our own bags for years , but then she did spend 7 years in the UK so is used to it .

When they start giving you a couple of extra 'pints' then you will really see some traction !

[GuestForLife]

blah blah blah... how many times they came up with this ??? 

[realenglish1]

4 hours ago, djayz said:

Finally!!!!! Most sensible thing I've read in a long time! Charge ฿10 or ฿15 a bag. That'll make a lot of people think twice before take a bag.

But, I vaguely remember them wanting to charge for bags years ago and the proposal was dropped because some n*bj*b thought that charging for plastic bags would "not be good for tourism because tourists wouldn't want to pay for the bags". ?

The most sensible thing  to do is not  charge people for plastic bags ( does not cure the problem) mandate all plastic bag mfg to make bags  from a bio degradable vegetable/plant based product This will cure the problem very very fast

Edited December 17, 2017 by realenglish1
spelling

[ebonykap]

2 hours ago, r136dg said:

Agree with most everything said.

They could also make it worthwhile for recyclers to pick up. 

Always get a funny look when I say mai ow tung

Of course you do................it should be "mai sai tung" 

[biplanebluey]

What about plastic bottles-------- Would BigC or say Makro mind do you think,If i took a container to pour my bottles of Coke into and left the coke ones behind? After all,surely there's a lot more plastic in a bottle than a plastic bag ????

[impulse]

6 minutes ago, biplanebluey said:

What about plastic bottles-------- Would BigC or say Makro mind do you think,If i took a container to pour my bottles of Coke into and left the coke ones behind? After all,surely there's a lot more plastic in a bottle than a plastic bag ????

 

There's already very active plastic bottle recycling communities all over Thailand, with thousands of Thais feeding their families by collecting and recycling plastic drink bottles.

 

[gwynt]

4 hours ago, markaoffy said:

I’m always taking items out of plastic bags at checkouts ! Why the hell the staff aren’t trained to ask customers if they want a bag ? But Silly question in LOS


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I was in Singapore last week where I bought milk at a 7/11 that very question was asked, " do you require a bag" 

But then traffic stops at red lights as well ?