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

[laislica]

Just add a tax to the bag manufacturers and fine the makers for every plastic bag that is wrongly disposed of.

Divide the fine equally across all manufacturers/distributors.

They will soon increase the price and may also take steps to recycle them!

Why don't the authorities force the makers to sell bio-degradable bags where possible?

America favour paper.

The UK used to have paper bags but switched to plastic - they are cheaper!

Taxes levied could be used to pay for the necessary cleaning services....

Increased employment.....

 

Of course, this needs to be properly thought through first but maybe worth a look?

OK, never mind.

 

[smudger1951]

15 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

It is about bloody time that this idea gets discussed and (hopefully!) implemented in Thailand; the sheer number of plastic bags in this country is both shocking and disgusting.

 

I am a figure of awe when I go to my local market, buy my stuff, then whip a used plastic bag out of my pocket for my purchase.

 

"GASP!" "Look at that!" "Wah!" "I didn't know you could do that!" "Double Wah!"

 

Make it five baht a bag, and watch the use of plastic bags plummet. Please.

 

Yes, my experience as well when I take used bag yo big c or foodland. It reall gets me when the double bag anything slightly heavy.

[Grumpy Duck]

I saw at Big C they sell nice sized canvas? shopping bags at check outs. I thought they were a good idea as I also get disgusted seeing so much litter usually plastic bags. 

I purchased 2, placed them at the front,  I laughed as the cashier placed them in plastic shopping bags with the other items. 

I usually ride a motorbike and carry all my groceries in a backpack, I often get smiles from some of the clerks as I refuse plastic bags, and groan from the weight of the backpack as I pull the straps over my shoulders. 

The maids at the mansion I live separate recyclables from all the trash. One of them told me they get about ฿500 every month or two from recycling the aluminum, plastic and glass from about 100 residents. They appreciate when I separate my trash for them. 

 

I often laugh when I see trash collectors spend 5 to 10 minutes at each stop separating recyclables. In the US they collect all the trash as quick as possible and pay people to separate recyclables from the trash on conveyor belts, it is profitable for them. Since there was one around the corner from where I lived, I would recycle my trash made $10 every 2 or 3 months. I preferred to give the recyclables to the homeless instead. 

[CWMcMurray]

If stores charge for plastic bags.. who gets the money?

 

I fear this just ends up with stores having another money maker rather than helping to fund anything to do with cleaning up the environment 

 

does Anyone think that stores will actually lower prices if they no longer have to cover the “cost” of plastic bags

Edited December 17, 2017 by CWMcMurray

[taharkin]

How about recycling? Return them to Rimping, Tesco, etc like in the States. Nothing easier to recycle if you have the opportunity.

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

Until the mind of the average Thai changes Thailand will remain covered in garbage.

 

[wayned]

When they start charging for the bags, the plastic "10 item" carriers and the grocery carts will start disappearing from the stores and you will see many pickups speeding down the road with carts in the back!  That's why they still have guards at the exits from the Makro parking lots!

[Happyman58]

I think educating Thais to put rubbish in bins would help lots Here is an example Dont laugh guys this is not funny. Step daughter 20 years old university student  Nice girl but very very lazy She was eating a banana the other day In our kitchen we have a rubbish bin with a lid on it Gets emptied by me every day She picked up the banana skin after she finished eating the banana went into the kitchen and put the banana skin on top on the bin lid She was to lazy to lift the bin lid and put the skin inside the bin. Hence it has forced me to put up a sign in kitchen with a pig on it saying"  This is not a pigsty could you put your rubbish in the bin not a big effort to lift the lid" That is the mentality of the people were are living with They would sooner throw the rubbish on the ground then put it in bin Can i ask? Is there any fines for people throwing rubbish on the ground? Maybe should be might slow them down a bit Who would enforce it? The police

[Mike555]

They brought in a similar thing a few years back when I was living in Makati in Manila. They actually didn't even have a pay-for-plastic option, I don't think. I was just no more plastic bags. Everything had to be paper...and they charged for those I think. Almost nothing, but a bit. Very glad to hear that Thailand is at least going to make an effort to deal with the issue. Would love to see the plastic straws and cutlery get replaced with bio-degradable alternatives as well. Same with plastics...my trash bags are all bio-degradable. The technology exists to make this happen; just requires political will. 

[thesetat2013]

On 12/17/2017 at 8:29 AM, 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". ?

his idea is not a new one.. China's grocery stores make you pay per plastic bag. yet it doesn't hinder them from buying more. i have yet to see them whip out a bag to put there food in. 

although it sounds like a good idea. i doubt it will deter the Thais.  it will just add 5 baht to their overall bill..  

[Airbagwill]

Still almost every post is relating plastic bags to supermarkets, this totally ignores the huge amount of bags used in other possibly more important ways.

The street food industry relies on these for there very existence.

Food drinks etc are purchased every morning and evening by workers who have no cooking facilities of their own.

I'd suggest this vastly our numbers bags from supermarkets.

Eg. One serving of noodles requires hag for noodles, bag for stock and bag to put the 2 other bags plus fish sauce sachet and small bag for chilli.

Multiply that twice a day for the entire factory workforce of Thailand.

[Airbagwill]

NB at present virtually all plastic is NOT truly biodegradable...certainly not compostable

[Crossy]

@Airbagwill makes excellent points. 

 

Of course the supermarket bag is an easy target and one which has been used in other countries. But other places don't necessarily have the vast street-food industry that Thailand has.

 

How did street food work in the past, before the poly bag and rubber band? Certainly much use was made of banana leaves, but what else, how about soup?

 

[The Teacher]

Manufactures of paper bags are smiling more now, so they should, this country so far behind the rest of its neighbors when it comes to recycling efforts. 

[realenglish1]

17 hours ago, phuketjock said:

Some of the more aware supermarkets are already using biodegradable plastic bags.

Agreed  but in the long run it is desirable Let the government give a 2 or 3 year lead time on this so Companies can change Remember if they are outlawing plastic bags its in the best interest of the said companies to start changing

This is a long term solution but Thais are not known for long term fixes

[lvr181]

On 12/17/2017 at 11:08 AM, tonray said:

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

Oh ye of little faith   555

[tonray]

1 minute ago, lvr181 said:

Oh ye of little faith   555

Ok.. Same price but now the free restrooms are 10 baht for foreigners and tissue an additional 5 baht.  Discriminatory capitalism at its best 

[Keesters]

A good start but what about plastic bottles.

 

I've seen people at Tesco buying dozens of plastic bottles of water all wrapped in plastic and loading them into their Benz. Don't they have a water filter at home? Water filters should be obligatory in all houses, apartments, condos, hotel rooms.It's the first thing I had fitted in my house 30+ years ago. Maintain it properly and you'll never buy water in plastic again.

[cracker1]

UK 2015.
 

[Airbagwill]

6 hours ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

Until the mind of the average Thai changes Thailand will remain covered in garbage.

 

The garbage problem is not Thailand's alone....economics dictate the use of plastics and even fully developed countries are failing to deal with the problem.

In many circumstances the use of plastics is not just unavoidable but a necessity.

Plastics exist forever and as yet no countries have come to terms on how to safely dispose of them.

Unfortunately they are now in the sea and every nook and cranny of the environment.....we are actually ingesting plastic ourselves as it has entered the food chain.

So blaming Thailand as if they are especially poor at this is missing the point.

 

[lvr181]

1 minute ago, Keesters said:

A good start but what about plastic bottles.

 

I've seen people at Tesco buying dozens of plastic bottles of water all wrapped in plastic and loading them into their Benz. Don't they have a water filter at home? Water filters should be obligatory in all houses, apartments, condos, hotel rooms.It's the first thing I had fitted in my house 30+ years ago. Maintain it properly and you'll never buy water in plastic again.

That is clever farang thinking - not really acceptable in the Kingdom, unfortunately.

 

I have seen many decent water filter systems (Reverse Osmosis) being used but somehow I feel the poorer classes could never afford them.

 

But those lazy b**********ds who buy the bottled water and load into their 'upmarket' vehicles could afford one. Dumbness, lazyness and snobbery at its best!

[Airbagwill]

57 minutes ago, Crossy said:

@Airbagwill makes excellent points. 

 

Of course the supermarket bag is an easy target and one which has been used in other countries. But other places don't necessarily have the vast street-food industry that Thailand has.

 

How did street food work in the past, before the poly bag and rubber band? Certainly much use was made of banana leaves, but what else, how about soup?

 

Boat noodles etc were served in small bowls and eaten nearby the vendor. It is still common in Thailand for street vendors to set up chairs and tables. However changes in lifestyle mean that people want to take stuff back to their rooms.

In India they have the tiffin system (Also known elsewhere as Bentos) that delivers food to office workers. This is common in Asia. The thing is, almost any other system involves the return or collection of the containers.....this in itself represents extra cost.  Especially in an economy where wages are rising.

[Airbagwill]

11 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

That is clever farang thinking - not really acceptable in the Kingdom, unfortunately.

 

I have seen many decent water filter systems (Reverse Osmosis) being used but somehow I feel the poorer classes could never afford them.

 

But those lazy b**********ds who buy the bottled water and load into their 'upmarket' vehicles could afford one. Dumbness, lazyness and snobbery at its best!

Maybe they are aware of the serious limitations of domestic water filters????

[Crossy]

I'd forgotten the tiffin system (I even had one in Bangalore and Mumbai) got the same carrier back every day and the cost was stupidly low.

 

No reason for it not to work here minus the delivery. Take your tiffin carrier to the street vendor, fill with the requisite food, take home and eat. QED.

 

Carriers of various sizes are readily available, Wifey uses one to take monk food to the wat.

 

 

[Harpov]

About time ! The amount of plastic bags given at Big-C, Lotus etc. is ridiculous even when you just buy handful of items. Charging for plastic bags will make people bring their own bags and the consumption will drop drastically. Proven fact - something that was done in some of the Nordic countries already back in the 70's.

[lvr181]

10 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

Maybe they are aware of the serious limitations of domestic water filters????

And the serious limitations are?

[lvr181]

15 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I'd forgotten the tiffin system (I even had one in Bangalore and Mumbai) got the same carrier back every day and the cost was stupidly low.

 

No reason for it not to work here minus the delivery. Take your tiffin carrier to the street vendor, fill with the requisite food, take home and eat. QED.

 

Carriers of various sizes are readily available, Wifey uses one to take monk food to the wat.

 

 

For those who do not know what a tiffin carrier is:

 

Edited December 18, 2017 by lvr181

[jaywalker]

13 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

And the serious limitations are?

Probably none if installed & maintained at home, but the RO machines around the moo-baans that dispense water are seldom if ever serviced or cleaned.

 

They are installed & the vendor collects coins is all the attention they'll ever get. I've seen some that were broken down for months on end.

 

If the vendor can't afford to have them fixed when they quit making him money, then I doubt he'll ever spend a satang on maintenance.

Edited December 18, 2017 by jaywalker

[anono222]

On 12/17/2017 at 8:08 AM, 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 have used the same Makro canvas bag for six years and still going.  Can't help but feel like that is better than throwing away a pile of plastic every time I go somewhere.

 

[lvr181]

29 minutes ago, jaywalker said:

Probably none if installed & maintained at home, but the RO machines around the moo-baans that dispense water are seldom if ever serviced or cleaned.

 

They are installed & the vendor collects coins is all the attention they'll ever get. I've seen some that were broken down for months on end.

 

If the vendor can't afford to have them fixed when they quit making him money, then I doubt he'll ever spend a satang on maintenance.

True, but I think most domestic users would be able to maintain them. I certainly would not use  'public' system.