Tops plans monthly bag-free day

[webfact]

Tops plans monthly bag-free day

By The Nation

 

 

Central Food Hall and Tops wish to cut down on plastic use with a plastic-bag-free day on the third day of each month.

 

They are joining forces with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to launch the "Tops... Follow your Heart and Save the Environment” campaign, starting on August 3. With all 277 branches nationwide joining the campaign, the campaign is predicted to reduce bag use by 3 million this year. 

 

"We also stop using plastic straws and change to biodegradable straws made from cornstarch. These 100 per cent natural straws will break down and degrade in just six months,” Central Food Hall and Tops said. 

 

General Surasak Karnjanarat, the environment minister, said: “The government is very concerned about waste problems, especially plastic waste. 

 

"The National Council for Peace and Order has put this issue as a ‘national agenda' point and we get support from the public sector, which is organising numerous supportive campaigns and activities, especially from Earth Day on April 22 to World Environment Day on June 5."

 

Thailand annually consumes 45 billion plastic bags, 6.8 billion foam food containers and 9.8 billion plastic cups. 

 

They are all single-use, they do not decompose and pollute land, waterways and oceans, killing marine life.

 

Toxic chemicals in plastics also have a long-term negative health effect on human beings. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30350930

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-27

[bluesofa]

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

Tops plans monthly bag-free day

Forgive me for being cynical, but isn't this a re-hashed PR stunt that some of the big stores self-promoted almost two years ago?

We had the photo opportunity then, the spiel about their CSR, concern for the environment, etc. Then it died a death after a few weeks.

Tax plastic bags - that will reduce the usage dramatically.

A much better option:

 

 

[tukkytuktuk]

'Our green and pleasant land' is turning into one giant rubbish dump. Go one step further my Thai friends and ban plastic bags altogether. Before it's too late.

[jonclark]

For a country of approx 70 million to come 5th globally in terms of amount of plastic rubbish produced is really quite an achievement; but not an achievement to be proud of. 

 

The only way that this is going to change is by changing public behavior and that means taxing the manufactures of plastic bags and also charging for the plastic bags at the point of sale. In addition there needs to be a much more joined up waste disposal service across the entire country. Most trash is fly tipped as small towns, villages have no waste services at all. This needs addressing at its simplest this would be a village collection point for villagers to take rubbish for sorting and collection - something the village fund should be used for and supported by governments at a local and national level.

 

And of all else fails - just remove the plastic packaging at BIG C etc before you leave the store as these good folks did!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWz_p445Oh0

 

 

 

[Misterwhisper]

"Reducing" the annual plastic trash Mount Everest by a trifle 3 million bags will do... let me see... right... exactly nothing, zilch, nada to stem the tide. It's the proverbial drop in the ocean. But hey, a PR stunt like this makes Tops look oh soooo concerned about the environment -- while they continue happily dispensing bags like they were candies the other 6 days of the week.

 

In reality, Tops - and all the other large retailers including Big C, 7-Eleven, Family Mart or whatever they may be called - couldn't care less about the environment as they all have only one priority: turnover, turnover, turnover, ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching.

 

It's a hopeless case, because it is clear that neither the government nor the private business sector have the will to implement a very simple measure that could make a real difference:  charging the customer for each and every plastic bag, food container, straw, spoon dispensed. If customers are hit in the pocket, their attitudes will soon change and they are going to reject superfluous straws and other plastic crap constantly pushed on them. 

[overherebc]

So on that day everyone will go to Big C.

[bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, overherebc said:

So on that day everyone will go to Big C.

Whoa! Cynical or not, that hadn't actually occurred to me. I just hadn't thought how shallow people might be.

What we desperately need is a non-plastic plastic bag alternative that would alleviate that.

 

[sammieuk1]

I take 2-300 bags back to the UK every time I go in my near empty case it makes me feel greener and my Dad can use them on his commode. 

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Tops plans monthly bag-free day

A band-aid solution to a problem requiring major surgery. 

[bluesofa]

2 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

I take 2-300 bags back to the UK every time I go in my near empty case it makes me feel greener and my Dad can use them on his commode. 

The mere though of their use is turning me green too...

 

[sammieuk1]

Just now, bluesofa said:

The mere though of their use is turning me green too...

 

I like to share my green credentials.?‍♂️ 

[Happy Grumpy]

55 minutes ago, jonclark said:

For a country of approx 70 million to come 5th globally in terms of amount of plastic rubbish produced is really quite an achievement; but not an achievement to be proud of. 

Not too bad compared to their other achievements....

 

Road deaths.

 

Teen pregnancy.

 

Nose picking.

[quadperfect]

This is so pathetic. Tops you just lost any buisness from me forever for trying to do such a pathetic stunt that will do nothing. You suck.

[trainman34014]

How about a daily 'bag free day', unless you want to pay for one.  Makes a lot more sense to start how you intend to carry on !

[trainman34014]

1 hour ago, Happy Grumpy said:

Not too bad compared to their other achievements....

 

Road deaths.

 

Teen pregnancy.

 

Nose picking.

It's work in progress; you know how they love ''To be Number One''....Lol.

[AhFarangJa]

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

I take 2-300 bags back to the UK every time I go in my near empty case it makes me feel greener and my Dad can use them on his commode. 

What about the jet fuel used in transporting them back...............

[stanleycoin]

2 hours ago, overherebc said:

So on that day everyone will go to Big C.

Yes, totally agree.

or they just won't shop at all that day.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"We also stop using plastic straws and change to biodegradable straws made from cornstarch. These 100 per cent natural straws will break down and degrade in just six months,” Central Food Hall and Tops said. 

 If they can make biodegradeable straws, why not biode bags...instead?

'

When I was growing up, grocery shopping meant taking home the groceries in paper bags, which are bio-de....  What ever happened to paper at least at the supermarkets?

 

Save a tree, but despoil the oceans and kill marine life???

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

They are all single-use, they do not decompose and pollute land, waterways and oceans, killing marine life. 

 

And just how, pray tell Thailand, do the plastic bags here end up in waterways and oceans???

 

Elsewhere, they ought to at least end up getting sent with the garbage to secure landfills... But here, apparently, not so much....  Why is that???

 

[overherebc]

38 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Yes, totally agree.

or they just won't shop at all that day.

 

 

Or if they aren't awake or aware, ie normal state, they will turn up at the checkout realise 'no bags' and storm off leaving the shopping in the trolley

????

[55Jay]

No need to coddle Thais.  In the absence of higher awareness and thinking beyond food, shelter, water, clothing, humans, Thais included, react swiftly to anything involving money out of their pocket and/or being thrown in jail.   

 

Just do it.  It'll change dramatically in 1 or 2 days and within a few months, it will just be the new normal.  Except the Hi-Sos. It'll be a "look at me I'm rich" status symbol to walk out of the shop with expensive plastic carrier bags, sucking a Starbucks Mochadopeafrapahoohoo through an old-school straw.  ?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I was grocery shopping a couple weeks ago at a Central Market and on that day, suddenly, all their plastic bags in the produce/fruit section were gone and replaced by paper sacks...

 

I thought at first, perhaps that was the start of a policy change away from plastic bags. But when I was there a few days later again, it was back to the same plastic bags again and the paper bags were nowhere in sight. So perhaps they were trial running this current, relatively useless policy.

 

In Thailand, it's more important to APPEAR To be doing something, than to actually DO anything that makes a significant, meaningful change. This change is more about appearances than anything else.

 

[Chassa]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 If they can make biodegradeable straws, why not biode bags...instead?

'

When I was growing up, grocery shopping meant taking home the groceries in paper bags, which are bio-de....  What ever happened to paper at least at the supermarkets?

 

Save a tree, but despoil the oceans and kill marine life???

 

 

Trees used to be number 1 then.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Paper beats plastic: the shopping bag comes full circle

https://www.packaging-gateway.com/comment/plastic-shopping-bag/

 

Quote

 

With the introduction and subsequent extension of China’s plastic recycling imports ban, waste from plastic packaging starts to pile up, underlining the environmental impact that high plastic consumption has on the world. According to the BBC, from a total of 8.3 billion tons of virgin plastic produced to date, 6.3 billion tons of plastic waste had been generated (as of 2015). Approximately 80% of that waste went into landfills and the natural environment, 12% was incinerated and 9% was recycled. At current production and waste management trends, approximately 12 billion tons of plastic waste will be in landfills or nature by 2050.

 

Various governments have introduced a charge on shopping bags. Since the introduction of the 5p charge in England, plastic bag use has plummeted by over 80%. All of the major supermarkets in the UK have introduced programmes and targets to reduce the reliance upon single-use plastics. Morrisons, however, has taken the novel decision to bring back paper bags as they are cheap, recyclable and biodegradable.

............

The next step will be reformulated biodegradable plastic such as PEF, and paper bags where demand still exists, such as in smaller businesses and at the fruit, dairy and meat counters.

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

 

Am I missing something here? Why one day a month instead of every day a month as they do in the real world? Tesco and others then save money by not having to provide bags at all. Or is that too difficult for them to understand? There are so many things in this country that defy any logic.

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 If they can make biodegradeable straws, why not biode bags...instead?

'

When I was growing up, grocery shopping meant taking home the groceries in paper bags, which are bio-de....  What ever happened to paper at least at the supermarkets?

 

Save a tree, but despoil the oceans and kill marine life???

 

 

 

Actually, the bags they use DO degrade. I've stored stuff in them and when I go to them a year or two later the bags crumble into dust. The plastic problem has little to do with supermarket bags.

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, 55Jay said:

No need to coddle Thais.  In the absence of higher awareness and thinking beyond food, shelter, water, clothing, humans, Thais included, react swiftly to anything involving money out of their pocket and/or being thrown in jail.   

 

Just do it.  It'll change dramatically in 1 or 2 days and within a few months, it will just be the new normal.  Except the Hi-Sos. It'll be a "look at me I'm rich" status symbol to walk out of the shop with expensive plastic carrier bags, sucking a Starbucks Mochadopeafrapahoohoo through an old-school straw.  ?

Is that a play on golf ball though a garden hose type thing????

[Eligius]

6 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Whoa! Cynical or not, that hadn't actually occurred to me. I just hadn't thought how shallow people might be.

What we desperately need is a non-plastic plastic bag alternative that would alleviate that.

 

Yes, all these VERY rich shops really should be using bio-degradable bags as a matter of course by now. It is not rocket science.

[tryasimight]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Tops plans monthly bag-free day

That'll disappoint the wife - she will have to wait in the car on those days. 

[wwest5829]

7 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Forgive me for being cynical, but isn't this a re-hashed PR stunt that some of the big stores self-promoted almost two years ago?

We had the photo opportunity then, the spiel about their CSR, concern for the environment, etc. Then it died a death after a few weeks.

Tax plastic bags - that will reduce the usage dramatically.

A much better option:

 

 

Every little bit helps. Just wondering of the efficacy of taxing for the bags. I am thinking that the change would be so small,per bag as to be unnoticed.