"Breaking news": Thais filmed actually picking up litter!

[Ruffian Dick]

13 hours ago, rkidlad said:

I've been with my missus for 10 years. She's been pretty good about this kind of stuff from the beginning. As we've been together longer, we both learn from each other. I made her more conscious of a clean environment and reusing canvas bags, etc. Now she's overtaken me. She is more conscious about this kinda stuff than I am. She seems to take great pleasure in being more responsible and wanting a clean environment. 

 

It's all about education. 

Indeed.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/aabd/30e0a16d852784efa257080f081e99a05f12.pdf

 

[matsellah]

She's not picking up trash.

 

She's just emptying the bag in a careful manner.

[rickudon]

Things are changing. When i first came to my wife's village 10 years ago, rubbish along the road side was very apparent. Over the years, things have gradually improved, the roads have only about 20% of the litter that existed 10 years ago, The worst culprits are not people, but soi dogs, who empty the old spherical rubbish bins (made from old tyres). Then someone has to go clear it up, which does not happen straight away. Get rid of the dogs, and the litter problem would practically disappear. They have introduced proper wheelie bins recently, which are pretty much dog proof, but not everyone has one.

 

It is about education, AND increased affluence. when you worry where your next meal is coming from, you do not care about litter. When you have a little money, you care more about the quality of your environment. I have seen the village evolve, first the explosion of cars, then the house renovations, and now some people are making small gardens in front of their houses, with shrubs, flowers and even grass ..... you do not want litter if you want an attractive garden. Give it 20 years and it will improve further.

 

I try to set an example, i never drop litter, and tidy up any that blows into our garden. This rubs off on the mother-in-law, who now actually usually bins her litter instead of throwing it into the back garden. 

 

I am now trying to educate about reducing  plastic bag use and recycling (currently only of interest when you get paid). But it is a slow process. But we should remember that reduce, reuse and recycle is a mantra that our parents didn't know either.

 

 

 

[bluesofa]

6 minutes ago, rickudon said:

{snipped}

I am now trying to educate about reducing  plastic bag use and recycling (currently only of interest when you get paid). But it is a slow process. But we should remember that reduce, reuse and recycle is a mantra that our parents didn't know either.

This is something I'm keen on too. I'd be interested to know how your effort to reduce plastic bag usage is coming along?

I have searched the net to try and find if there is a group here trying to encourage people to reduce their usage, but so far without any success.

In the past I've contacted 7 Eleven about their issuing of plastic bags for single item purchases, despite their website claiming they were asking customers if they wanted a bag for their single item.

 

[rickudon]

So far i have introduced the wife to the 'bag for life' concept for the shopping. Unfortunately most shopping is done in bulk so no plastic bags used much. Wife has a shop so uses a lot of plastic bags for customers ...... that will be a hard one. I am also trying to get family to put stuff in the fridge in reusable containers where possible, but again the plastic bag and rubber band is just so ingrained in them that little progress has been made. Honestly, i am concentrating more on the litter problem, as until that is fully accepted, how can you explain that using bags means litter and waste, even if you bin it.

 

Really, the only way Thais will give up their plastic bags is when they have to pay for them ......

[bluesofa]

9 hours ago, rickudon said:

So far i have introduced the wife to the 'bag for life' concept for the shopping. Unfortunately most shopping is done in bulk so no plastic bags used much. Wife has a shop so uses a lot of plastic bags for customers ...... that will be a hard one. I am also trying to get family to put stuff in the fridge in reusable containers where possible, but again the plastic bag and rubber band is just so ingrained in them that little progress has been made. Honestly, i am concentrating more on the litter problem, as until that is fully accepted, how can you explain that using bags means litter and waste, even if you bin it.

 

Really, the only way Thais will give up their plastic bags is when they have to pay for them ......

I agree that having to pay for plastic bags will be the most effective deterrent.

 

In the UK when retailers were forced to charge (is it 5p?) per carrier bag, the use dropped dramatically, I think it was by about 80%.

 

There was a news article in the last month about an environmentalist group in Bangkok. IIRC, I think they were trying to petition the government to charge for plastic bags. Of course when there's big business involved issuing carrier bags for free it will be an uphill struggle, and we know who has more clout and money.

 

Regarding reducing the use of smaller plastic bags used for takeaway food, I honestly don't know how that might work here. I can't see people taking a reusable container to have food put into it at a food stall, it wouldn't be practical. It would involve remembering to take the container with you, plus initially it would probably be seen as a loss of face in this culture - perceived as being poor.

 

I see (again, I think it might be the UK?) where they're encouraging customers to take their own mugs for takeaway hot drinks, as something like 90% the throwaway cups they now use end up in landfill sites.

Due the composite nature of these cups - plastic and paper(?) I think there's only one company that can recycle these cups effectively. What a disaster.

 

Sorry to drone on about it!

It's great to read that someone else is trying to encourage Thais to reduce their plastic bag consumption.

 

[jerojero]

Raptutous event? 555

[MrPatrickThai]

On 30/01/2018 at 11:43 AM, rkidlad said:

I've been with my missus for 10 years. She's been pretty good about this kind of stuff from the beginning. As we've been together longer, we both learn from each other. I made her more conscious of a clean environment and reusing canvas bags, etc. Now she's overtaken me. She is more conscious about this kinda stuff than I am. She seems to take great pleasure in being more responsible and wanting a clean environment. 

 

It's all about education. 

Same as mine, never goes to the supermarket without her own bags etc. 

 

The OP is an insult to Thai people.  

 

Ignorant replies are oblivious to the way Thai recycle things.