Thais start waking up on reducing plastic bags

[Capt Rob]

UK Spectator magazine did an excellent piece in March 2018 >  https://spectator.co.uk/2018/01/revealed-the-truth-about-plastic/

 

Europe consumes almost 60 million tonnes of plastic a year. If all this packaging were instead grown in fields, it would take up 40,000 square miles — nearly a tenth of all arable land currently under cultivation in Europe. And what about the carbon emissions from biodegradable plastics? They tend to decompose straight to methane, a greenhouse gas measured to have 20 times the potency of CO2. If our main concern is climate change, then we’re actually better off using plastic made from petrochemicals — either recycling or burning them once they have outlived their useful lives.

 

Amongst other things it pointed up the adverse effect of paper bags and that cotton bags needed to be used 173 times before it became responsible for lower carbon emissions than plastic.

I commend the article from the "Spectator"  for anyone seriously concerned about pollution ( and generally, most other articles within its pages )

Edited June 20, 2018 by Capt Rob
Tyo ' withits'

[CGW]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

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. 

When I first moved to Thailand 30+ years ago the only drinking water available here was in bottles, Singha, they had the monopoly, you still see it around, they had the monopoly on both beer, water/soda etc, they lost it..........................

Water was always kept in the fridge in a Glass jug or jugs, plastic was not readily available or used much, thank the refineries in Thailand for all the cheap plastic byproduct!

Why would anyone choose plastics over glass, availability, price ?.....................

Progress! 

[Poottrong]

3 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

How is it pointless? The point is to reduce plastic bag use and it does this effectively. The more people that use a reusable bag, the fewer plastic bags are released into the environment.

 

It seems that following this method is very much the rational thing to do.

 

It seems irrational not to want to reduce plastic bag use.

 

Could you perhaps explain why not trying to reduce plastic bag use seems rational to you?

I refuse plastic bags all the time and have a pile I reuse at home but we all know it has precisely zero effect on the environment. Thai people smile and say that's nice that the eccentric farang does it or his Thai wife does it but they also know that rubbish is piling up on the streets and when it's finally collected it's often dumped in unsanitary piles creating an environmental disaster in the making. They know the beaches are strewn with rubbish. They know how their fellow citizens behave. So why bother? Do you think you're setting an example that is going to shame people into action, awaken some kind of shift in consciousness? Of course not. So why would a Thai do it?

 

And all that said I still reduce and recycle plastic bags even in spite of the futility ? but I totally get why it appears illogical to Thai people

[seancbk]

My friend Craig wrote, directed and starred in the multi award winning film 'A Plastic Ocean' which is helping to highlight the damage plastic is doing to the environment.

Watch the trailer here :-
 

 

[Fairynuff]

7 hours ago, mok199 said:

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

Of course it will....but let’s applaud the fact that they’re making a start

[Poottrong]

3 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

Of course it will....but let’s applaud the fact that they’re making a start

They made a start many years back. They are still making a start. At some point it has to be called for what it is.

[Fairynuff]

5 hours ago, nabbie said:

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.... 

I don’t use plastic straws. I bought metal ones on eBay, enough to keep at home and a few that go everywhere with me

[mok199]

38 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

Of course it will....but let’s applaud the fact that they’re making a start

,this plastic that thais love so much is destroying this country and this planet...and you call for a cheer,when they hang a sign on a window...show me a thai with a cloth bag or a thai who brings his or her own bowl and spoon for their morning plastic overload and soup.and I will applaud along with you sir.

Edited June 20, 2018 by mok199
speliings

[JestSetter]

1 hour ago, Poottrong said:

I refuse plastic bags all the time and have a pile I reuse at home but we all know it has precisely zero effect on the environment. Thai people smile and say that's nice that the eccentric farang does it or his Thai wife does it but they also know that rubbish is piling up on the streets and when it's finally collected it's often dumped in unsanitary piles creating an environmental disaster in the making. They know the beaches are strewn with rubbish. They know how their fellow citizens behave. So why bother? Do you think you're setting an example that is going to shame people into action, awaken some kind of shift in consciousness? Of course not. So why would a Thai do it?

 

And all that said I still reduce and recycle plastic bags even in spite of the futility ? but I totally get why it appears illogical to Thai people

Baby steps, baby steps. It might take a while, but some are getting it.

 

But there is worse. They also burn those and probably let their kids do it for them!

 

It is all about education. What do teachers teach? What is the curriculum about?

 

[55Jay]

It does work, kind of....  The 7-11 clerks near my house have gotten to know me now.  Mr. Me ow Tung.  Tesco Express not so much yet.  I bought a small container of milk a few hours ago and refused the straw that comes with it.  The gender confused clerk seemed to "get it" fairly quickly though.  Takes time and consistency.

[mok199]

5 hours ago, Italian guy said:

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

sir I would welcome a genuine try ''attempt'' ,I have been on this crusade in Thailand for years now...and another sign or another photo opp of a few thais on the beach with their thumps up is killing this country...show me a thai who brings his or her own bag show me a thai who brings his or her own bowl and spoon (without a facebook post or a camera)....and I will cheer along side you....signs and photo opps are not working ..

[pokerface1]

6 hours ago, nabbie said:

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.... 

Bring back the paper straws from yesteryear. Bring back the string shopping bags as well. It's really up to the government to legislate and enforce actions like refunding on plastic bottles returned to the vendors.

Unless Thailand is living in the era of the "Plastic Government"?

[hotchilli]

Judging by Thai vendors in my local talat this morning the message hasn't got through yet...

individually wrapped items put into larger plastic bags as normal.... don't expect any change soon at the grass roots level!

[Fairynuff]

5 hours ago, Poottrong said:

She probably quite rationally finds the whole exercise pointless and embarrassing.

Can’t see why it’s pointless or embarrassing. Quite rationally to thethe contrary in fact. 

[JestSetter]

31 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Judging by Thai vendors in my local talat this morning the message hasn't got through yet...

individually wrapped items put into larger plastic bags as normal.... don't expect any change soon at the grass roots level!

You expect the whole country to change their ways in a few days. Come on! Would it happen in the West? No. Is it happening in the West? No. 

[Searat7]

I use every plastic bag received from supermarket for trash bag in my condo. If I switched to reusable cloth bags for shopping I would still have to buy  small plastic trash bags. What is the difference ?

[Destiny1990]

Thais love to recycle but only if plastic bags costs 10 bht.

Now with the free plastic bags there is missing an incentive..

[plachon]

7 hours 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. 

 

 

Reminds me of the time, many years ago (94?), when first dating my wife on a trip to Kanchanaburi. We were driving along on a motorcy in the countryside, when I saw in my mirror my Mrs toss an empty water bottle into the verge. I immediately turned around and drove back to the spot where it fell. I pointed at it and said if you want to go any further with me, you pick it up, put in in your bag and dispose of it properly in a bin when we get to a town. 

She was a bit gob-smacked, throwing litter away being second nature, but complied (I explained my reasoning later and a light bulb went on in her head!) and our relationship got stronger, as we married about the following year.  She isn't the best in the world at remembering plastic bags when she goes shopping, but the 5 p tax introduced in UK helped her no end, as she hates wasting money! If only Thailand would bring in a similar tax, bag usage may go down as much as the 85 % it did in UK post-tax. 

[plachon]

25 minutes ago, Searat7 said:

I use every plastic bag received from supermarket for trash bag in my condo. If I switched to reusable cloth bags for shopping I would still have to buy  small plastic trash bags. What is the difference ?

You could use biodegradable trash bags in your condo, and use reusable cloth bags for shopping, while reducing your consumption of single-use plastic items, thus reducing your plastic footprint no end.....?

[Tongue Thaid]

Start with 7/11 stores,they are terrible with plastic bags.Im the same as spidermike007.we take our fabric bags into the supermarket and we do the same by pulling the items out of their plastic bags and putting them into our fabric.ones.Totally confuses the checkout operator.Every vacant lot in our village is covered in plastic bags,I’m trying to educate my Thai wife into using the reusable fabric bags.

[whaleboneman]

8 hours ago, SymS said:

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!

It's not fine to use plastic bags. Just because you dispose of them properly doesn't mean they are recycled. The same goes for pooping in the toilet. What does it matter if it's piped straight to the sea???

[whaleboneman]

2 hours ago, Searat7 said:

I use every plastic bag received from supermarket for trash bag in my condo. If I switched to reusable cloth bags for shopping I would still have to buy  small plastic trash bags. What is the difference ?

It's a new mindset: Stop using plastic bags. Stop purchasing goods that come in pre-packaged garbage. Start recycling and composting. Once you're up to speed, there will be almost no trash to dispose of. Where I live in Canada trash is collected every two weeks and I seldom have more than half a bin to dispose of. And I'm trying to improve.

[Thian]

8 hours ago, HHTel said:

Rwanda, Africa banned plastic 8 years ago.  Their cities look pristine. With the Thais attitudes to Africans, it should be demonstrated daily that there are African nations better than Thailand.  They won't like that but it might change their mindset.

I just saw the  video of the Senegalese supporters cleaning up the stadium after they won the match...unbelievable.

[Thian]

7 hours ago, jimster said:

Tap water? Full of chlorine and all? No thanks. And also no need. Many Thais reuse 18L bottles of water, fill them up with water from the local reverse osmosis water dispenser, place it over a water cooler and dispense water whenever needed. I've never seen anyone in the west do that - everyone just buys 1.25 or 1.5L bottles and throw them away once finished (OK, even if they are then recycled) and never once have I seen a water dispensing machine in a western country.

It's not my hobby to lift/carry 18litre waterbottles...filter works much easyier.

[Thian]

6 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

Thais drinking tap water ?

You obviously dont live here as the " tap water " is non drinkable ( if you can get any )

Its filthy, full of bacteria and really is unhealthy

 

You probably don't live in a decent house...all our neighbours have a waterfilter and drink tapwater.

[ncc1701d]

I’ve forced my tgf to start using cardboard straws in her shop. It’s a start. They have potatoe based ones too coming out soon if not already.

Edited June 20, 2018 by ncc1701d

[Searat7]

2 hours ago, whaleboneman said:

It's a new mindset: Stop using plastic bags. Stop purchasing goods that come in pre-packaged garbage. Start recycling and composting. Once you're up to speed, there will be almost no trash to dispose of. Where I live in Canada trash is collected every two weeks and I seldom have more than half a bin to dispose of. And I'm trying to improve.

The problem is there is no government recycling plan like we have had in western countries for decades. You just see some people trying to earn some money  collecting plastic bottles or cardboard. It’s totally different in Thailand so your suggestion is not very applicable. I will look for biodegradable trash bags and will buy some cloth bags for shopping at supermarkets but there is not much else I could do in Bangkok. If there was a real recycling program then daily trash pickups might not be necessary too.

[balo]

It's the common Thai that needs to get educated on this , the street stalls are giving away 100 plastic bags every hour. That needs to stop.   

 

A new invention from a Dutch company , they produce "plastic" bags , looks like plastic but it's not and easy to break down in nature. Maybe you pay 20 baht for this type of "organic" bag . 

 

If the world just decide to ban the production of plastic it will be a lot easier for everyone to just replace the plastic with something that works .  

 

 

[Jimdandy]

At least it is a start in the right direction.

[stanleycoin]

5 hours ago, ncc1701d said:

I’ve forced my tgf to start using cardboard straws in her shop. It’s a start. They have potatoe based ones too coming out soon if not already.

I to have instructed the Mia Noi,  not to buy any more vibrators 

This will be saving on plastic and 4,   D-Cell batteries.

We should all do our bit for the environment.