Thais start waking up on reducing plastic bags

[webfact]

Thais start waking up on reducing plastic bags

By Thai PBS

 

 

Thai people in general, high-learning educational institutions, private and public sectors are waking up to the calls for the reduction of plastic bags in their daily use in light of the recent deaths of several wild animals from their eating of discarded plastic bags and the global problem of plastic garbage in seas and oceans.

 

Here are some examples of the educational institutions that have started cutting down the daily use of single-use plastic bags in their campuses.

 

At Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus, students have been urged to bring their own cotton bags when they want to shop for snacks, drinks or whatever from the convenience stores on the campus.  Convenience stores, meanwhile, will inform their customers that plastic bags will be provided only for hot instant food.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thais-start-waking-reducing-plastic-bags/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-06-20

[mok199]

SORRY but it will take more then a few phtoto opps to end the average thai mindset

[jaiyen]

This is the start !  It will take a long time or may never happen. Better than doing nothing.  Here in Perth Woolworths have stopped giving out any plastic bags effective today.  Try doing that in Thailand !

[trainman34014]

Judging by the amount of fresh plastic bags and other rubbish i saw this morning on my bike ride i would say the Thai Public don't give a rats arse about reducing any kind of rubbish !

[spidermike007]

A change in consciousness must start at the most basic level. Most Thais think plastic is the best thing ever invented, and the percentage of Thais that even consider the negative ramifications of plastic is incredibly small. This requires some education. I always do two things to avoid the consumption of plastic.

 

1. I bring re-usable bags with me every time I go shopping. I use the larger shopping bags I buy in the US, which are made of recycled materials. Most of the clerks have to be dealt with. Even when they see my bag, they still start putting the stuff in plastic. I always mai sai toom. No plastic! Then they start loading up my bag. Most look at me like I am from Mars. Do I care? Not one iota. About 1% thank me, and get it. Not many do. My Thai wife does not like bringing the bags to the store. I force her to. By now, she expects it, and sometimes even asks if I have any bags in the car, or on the motorbike. Same with the water bottles. It used to embarrass her. Now, it is second nature, as I have been doing this for so long, she expects it. So, if a Thai can be conditioned to follow these simple principals, then anyone can. 

 

2. I bring a bottle of water with me, every time I go to a restaurant. I refill my plastic bottles from the 20 liter bottles at home. It is easy. I never buy bottled water at a restaurant. This saves 300-600 bottles a year. I use a plastic bottle dozens of times. I never get any flack from the restaurants. Only once did someone say something to me. She said you cannot bring you own water. My response was if you serve the water in a glass bottle, and I do not have to consume a plastic bottle, I am happy to pay for that. She was lost. I told her to leave and get me my food. She went away. 

 

We simply cannot say we are concerned about the environment, and then do nothing about it. Action demonstrates commitment. Lack of action demonstrates nothing. 

Lastly, restaurants can demonstrate their commitment, by serving drinking water from the 20 liter bottles. It saves alot of plastic. They lose a small amount of revenue, by not selling thousands of bottles of water. But, their operation is still profitable, and they are making a real difference. There really is not need to be consuming water in plastic bottles. At least not often. There are alternatives. Those damn bottles are a real culprit, when it comes to fouling the environment. What can we do, if we say we care?

 

By using normal plastic bottles over and over, they start to leach chemicals. What they are referring to is BPA, and other toxic chemicals that leach from the plastic, if the bottle sits in the sun, or has been sitting for too long, or is re-used a few times. This can easily be avoided by purchasing these bottles shown here. They are on ebay, and shipping to Thailand is either free or less than $1. The bottles are one liter, and a half liter. Only $2-3 each. Worth it. I use them daily. 

 

 

[Thian]

15 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

This is the start !  It will take a long time or may never happen. Better than doing nothing.  Here in Perth Woolworths have stopped giving out any plastic bags effective today.  Try doing that in Thailand !

What? Only since today? I thought Ozzies were such naturelovers?

 

In Holland there are no free plastic bags in supermarkets since 25 years i recon.

 

The Thai should start drinking tapwater...that would save so much plastic.

[outsider]

Better late than never, assuming this is going to gather momentum instead of dying a natural death after a few photo ops.

[nabbie]

Get rid of the straws - can live without that.

Stop using plastic bags - use the reusable bags. 

Return the empty plastic bottles to the shops get the refund of 2B

 

These would be good start.... 

[White Christmas13]

33 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

This is the start !  It will take a long time or may never happen. Better than doing nothing.  Here in Perth Woolworths have stopped giving out any plastic bags effective today.  Try doing that in Thailand !

not only Woolworth Coles as well and at Aldi they never had any plastic bags

 

[VBF]

Not trying to score points here, but in UK, big shops stopped giving away "single-use" plastic bags a couple of years ago.

Aldi and Lidl never did anyway.

 

Lots of people, myself included, objected at the time, but further thought and the smallest change of habits has resulted in a massive reduction in the number of bags used and therefore abandoned.

It took time and will take time in Thailand.....

 

Oh and @Thian you are being sarcastic about the tap water I trust?  Aren't you?

Edited June 20, 2018 by VBF

[cardinalblue]

charge for every single plastic bag to consumers....The biggest threat is if corruption can be kept out of revenue management...Thai officials will have their slick fingers in the process

 

But Thais hate extra costs and for a successful system thais need to feel the cost of it...

 

Voluntary systems don't work in the Thas culture b/c of a lack of a conscious by the majority...

[Poottrong]

35 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

 Here in Perth Woolworths have stopped giving out any plastic bags effective today.  Try doing that in Thailand !

Perth is already a nice and clean place with or without plastic bags so a ban isn't going to change things much - ditto for the rest of Australia.  Five countries in Asia send more plastic into the oceans than the rest of the world combined (Thailand in at number 7 according to the link below). It's going to take more than a puff piece in a news paper article every year or so to fix this in Thailand.

 

https://www.statista.com/chart/12211/the-countries-polluting-the-oceans-the-most/

 

[mr_lob]

Makro don't give out any free bags and they do very good business. 

[Thian]

7 minutes ago, VBF said:

Not trying to score points here, but in UK, big shops stopped giving away "single-use" plastic bags a couple of years ago.

Aldi and Lidl never did anyway.

 

Lots of people, myself included, objected at the time, but further thought and the smallest change of habits has resulted in a massive reduction in the number of bags used and therefore abandoned.

It took time and will take time in Thailand.....

 

Oh and @Thian you are being sarcastic about the tap water I trust?  Aren't you?

I drink tapwater now for 8 years, untill the big flooding without waterfilter, after that with a purifier with UV-light. I drink 2-3 liters of it every day, no problems at all.

 

So the UK only stopped recently with plastic bags? Amazing, it just shows how Holland has to be the first and most green country all the time.

 

In Holland i bought a meal in a snackbar, he wanted 10 cent extra for a thin carrybag...At the Chinese they still give them free. But supermarkets only have thick bags and those cost 40-50 cents or so.

 

Normal binbags cost 1 euro a piece, those will be taken by the refuse-trucks. Plastic goes in another bag for recycling. Glass goes in the glasscontainers, cans in cancontainers, batteries in disposalboxes in supermarkets, EVERY plastic product had disposal-tax on it before it was sold in the shops..And so on...That's why it's cheaper to shop in Germany for Dutchies but also there you won't get free plastic bags.

 

The latest fashion in Europe for summer is a huge private floating island (made from plastic), like a huge swan or flamengo which is inflatable and can go on a lake with 10 people on it.

Those things will be used 3 times before they leak i bet. After that it all goes in the bin.

 

 

 

 

[RotMahKid]

47 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

Here in Perth Woolworths have stopped giving out any plastic bags effective today.  Try doing that in Thailand !

Makro in Thailand does already many years.....others did not follow yet.

 

[Cadbury]

Are those plastic signs they are using to try to discourage the use of plastic bags?

How about they put up some cardboard signs warning about the use of plastic signs. 

Edited June 20, 2018 by Cadbury

[Thian]

4 minutes ago, mr_lob said:

Makro don't give out any free bags and they do very good business. 

It's the small shops who need the bags...

 

At Makro families shop for a whole week and don't get any bag....People who shop in supermarkets/markets use them all day long.

 

[r136dg]

50 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

This is the start !  It will take a long time or may never happen. Better than doing nothing.  Here in Perth Woolworths have stopped giving out any plastic bags effective today.  Try doing that in Thailand !

Don't know about all Makros but the one near me hasn't provided bags long as I can remember. Locals adapted just fine.

Wouldn't be rocket science to get other retailers to follow suit. 

[VBF]

8 minutes ago, Thian said:

I drink tapwater now for 8 years, untill the big flooding without waterfilter, after that with a purifier with UV-light. I drink 2-3 liters of it every day, no problems at all.

 

So the UK only stopped recently with plastic bags? Amazing, it just shows how Holland has to be the first and most green country all the time.

 

In Holland i bought a meal in a snackbar, he wanted 10 cent extra for a thin carrybag...At the Chinese they still give them free. But supermarkets only have thick bags and those cost 40-50 cents or so.

 

Normal binbags cost 1 euro a piece, those will be taken by the refuse-trucks. Plastic goes in another bag for recycling. Glass goes in the glasscontainers, cans in cancontainers, batteries in disposalboxes in supermarkets, EVERY plastic product had disposal-tax on it before it was sold in the shops..And so on...That's why it's cheaper to shop in Germany for Dutchies but also there you won't get free plastic bags.

 

Well I stay mainly in Pattaya and wouldn't dream of drinking tap water there!  However, a late friend used to live in Pichai and he and his family used to drink the local water without any harm being caused. I drank it there too and was fine.

UK plastic bag ban began in October 2015 - rather than type it all out, there is lots of information  here. Our recycling practice pretty much mirrors yours above.

Edited June 20, 2018 by VBF

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thais start waking up on reducing plastic bags

The pic just goes to show that Thais are in for a new business opportunity.

[Thian]

1 minute ago, VBF said:

Well I stay mainly in Pattaya and wouldn't dream of drinking tap water there!  However, a late friend used to live in Pichai and he and his family used to drink the local water without any harm being caused. I drank it there too and was fine.

UK plastic bag ban began in October 2015 - rather than type it all out, there is lots of information  here. Our recycling practice pretty much mirrors yours above.

Well it's up to you if you're willing to drink tapwater..i don't know if there's heavy metals in tapwater though but the filters and uv-light catch a lot. Our water is superclean and without any smell. And the best is that it comes from the tap in the fridgedoor so it's chilled already.

 

Instead of plastic bottles you can also drink from glass bottles and let them deliver those.

[SymS]

The main problem is disposal... It's fine to use plastic bags, just discard them properly. Do not throw them everywhere.
 

In theory, people could defecate anywhere they please, but in practice most people don't, and do that in toilets instead, since they have been taught to properly "dispose" of their feces from a young age.  It could be the same for plastic bags ? Education!

[stanleycoin]

8 minutes ago, r136dg said:

Wouldn't be rocket science to get other retailers to follow suit. 

Everything is rocket science in Thailand. 

Edited June 20, 2018 by stanleycoin

[VBF]

5 minutes ago, Thian said:

Well it's up to you if you're willing to drink tapwater..i don't know if there's heavy metals in tapwater though but the filters and uv-light catch a lot. Our water is superclean and without any smell. And the best is that it comes from the tap in the fridgedoor so it's chilled already.

 

Instead of plastic bottles you can also drink from glass bottles and let them deliver those.

Re-read my post to which you replied!  I said nothing about drinking tap water anywhere!  The local water in Pichai came from the river and was purified, and as for Patts - obvious really.

[phantomfiddler]

54 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

A change in consciousness must start at the most basic level. Most Thais think plastic is the best thing ever invented, and the percentage of Thais that even consider the negative ramifications of plastic is incredibly small. This requires some education. I always do two things to avoid the consumption of plastic.

 

1. I bring re-usable bags with me every time I go shopping. I use the larger shopping bags I buy in the US, which are made of recycled materials. Most of the clerks have to be dealt with. Even when they see my bag, they still start putting the stuff in plastic. I always mai sai toom. No plastic! Then they start loading up my bag. Most look at me like I am from Mars. Do I care? Not one iota. About 1% thank me, and get it. Not many do. My Thai wife does not like bringing the bags to the store. I force her to. By now, she expects it, and sometimes even asks if I have any bags in the car, or on the motorbike. Same with the water bottles. It used to embarrass her. Now, it is second nature, as I have been doing this for so long, she expects it. So, if a Thai can be conditioned to follow these simple principals, then anyone can. 

 

2. I bring a bottle of water with me, every time I go to a restaurant. I refill my plastic bottles from the 20 liter bottles at home. It is easy. I never buy bottled water at a restaurant. This saves 300-600 bottles a year. I use a plastic bottle dozens of times. I never get any flack from the restaurants. Only once did someone say something to me. She said you cannot bring you own water. My response was if you serve the water in a glass bottle, and I do not have to consume a plastic bottle, I am happy to pay for that. She was lost. I told her to leave and get me my food. She went away. 

 

We simply cannot say we are concerned about the environment, and then do nothing about it. Action demonstrates commitment. Lack of action demonstrates nothing. 

Lastly, restaurants can demonstrate their commitment, by serving drinking water from the 20 liter bottles. It saves alot of plastic. They lose a small amount of revenue, by not selling thousands of bottles of water. But, their operation is still profitable, and they are making a real difference. There really is not need to be consuming water in plastic bottles. At least not often. There are alternatives. Those damn bottles are a real culprit, when it comes to fouling the environment. What can we do, if we say we care?

 

By using normal plastic bottles over and over, they start to leach chemicals. What they are referring to is BPA, and other toxic chemicals that leach from the plastic, if the bottle sits in the sun, or has been sitting for too long, or is re-used a few times. This can easily be avoided by purchasing these bottles shown here. They are on ebay, and shipping to Thailand is either free or less than $1. The bottles are one liter, and a half liter. Only $2-3 each. Worth it. I use them daily. 

 

 

Not wishing to sound pedantic or smart, Mike, but I think the words are "Mai sai toong, na kap", not "toom". I heartily agree with everything you do, and emulate ?

[Italian guy]

3 hours ago, mok199 said:

SORRY but it will take more then a few phtoto opps to end the average thai mindset

That means they shouldn't even try to change, right?

[seancbk]

1 hour ago, jaiyen said:

This is the start !  It will take a long time or may never happen. Better than doing nothing.  Here in Perth Woolworths have stopped giving out any plastic bags effective today.  Try doing that in Thailand !

 

Here in Thailand Makro don't give out plastic bags.   Also the MaxValue near me now asks if you want a bag.    Things will change faster than most of you think.

 

[Colabamumbai]

They must be, someone stole my empty cloth bag off my motorcycle.

[Poottrong]

A ban isn't the answer. Efficient and timely garbage collection and proper disposal (landfills etc) is the remedy.  Also the fishing industry needs to be told that they can't use the ocean as a rubbish tip anymore.

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

My Thai wife does not like bringing the bags to the store. I force her to. ...Same with the water bottles. It used to embarrass her

Interesting. Is that because it makes it look like you are poor by reusing a bag, or is it just going against the crowd that is the issue?