Tops plans monthly bag-free day

[wwest5829]

I had only wished that I had a “head’s up” before hittin that day a Tops a few weeks ago.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

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.

 

FWIW, I've kept supermarket bags at home for multi year periods when they're used to store odds and ends...

 

For whatever reason, the Villa bags I get do eventually begin crumbling into pieces. But AFAICT, the Tops and Tesco bags I get stay intact for as long as I've kept them.

 

[bluesofa]

Just now, Eligius said:

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.

Absolutely.

That's why every time there's a thread about plastic bags, I keep posting links/videos about how other countries are getting on and doing something about it.

Apart from Thailand that is - so far anyway.

 

I think up to now I've posted short videos from Uganda, Indonesia, and today India.

It seems to me the Indonesian guy making 'plastic' bags from cassava would be ideal here, as Thailand grows cassava already. It has a supply in the fields waiting to be exploited.

 

I'm sure the politicians and plastic bag manufactures will/are colluding to avoid any change happening that might reduce their profit, rather than embracing it as an opportunity.

 

[bluesofa]

6 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

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. 

True, if it was only a 5% or 10% tax.

If it was something radial like, say 200%, or even made illegal to hand out bags free - but forcing shops to charge per bag, that would have an affect.

In the UK that's happened (I don't know how much the charge is), but since then the number of plastic bags issued has dropped by 85% IIRC.

 

We know that generally our human nature tend to make us resistant to change. However, once it has happened people accept it fairly well.

 

[Blue bruce]

Why don't the big supermarkets do the same as Makro. No bags at all

Makes perfect sense, if Makro can do it they can all do it.

[scorecard]

6 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

Yes, totally agree.

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

 

 

It's also possible 90% of the customers won't even know about the special bag day because most Thais don't read newspapers and don't watch TV news services.

 

 

[peperobi]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

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. 

 

That is really a piece of bad propaganda, I was expecting  A little bit more from that company, just stop it forever or find a better solution! When they predicted to reduce the bags used by 3 million is mean that they still will use more than 88 million a year.

[peperobi]

1 hour ago, Blue bruce said:

Why don't the big supermarkets do the same as Makro. No bags at all

Makes perfect sense, if Makro can do it they can all do it.

Right, and oh wonder, is working...

[overherebc]

9 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.

 

To be honest I reckon the multi million tons we have dumped in the ocean will take multi million years to 'go away'

It's all too little too late.

We really have managed to screw the whole planet. Notice I use we.

Totally uncontrolled population growth for one. Steady and sure destruction of the plants lungs ie the vast rain forests ( jungles ) that used to exist mostly because people wanted solid wood desks blah blah that are now being replaced by plastic.

Before anyone jumps, yes, I'm as guilty as everyone else.

It can't be fixed, I'm totally convinced of it.

Random thoughts one I feel is relative.

Just over a hundred or so years ago many people owned a horse and very very few rich people owned a car. 

Now almost everyone owns a car and only rich people own horses and cars. Expand your mind on that.

??

Goodnight to all.

Edited July 27, 2018 by overherebc

[connda]

Remember those brown paper bags that grocers used to pack your stuff in?  I'm sure they still can be made. 

Everyone wants to blame the consumers.  Try blaming the retailers and the petro-chemical industry that pretty much forced the change to plastic onto consumers and retailers the first place.

 

"The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, ’cause that’s what it does. It’s a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed. And if it’s true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic. "  -- George Carlin

Edited July 27, 2018 by connda

[DJ54]

12 hours 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. 

 

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

 

 

 

Spot on! Have a give away of cloth carry bags 1 to a customer. Then stop giving away plastic bags. Followed by if you must have a bag 5 baht each. 

 

Teach the markets etc. If all can fit in one bag without damage don’t 

give four. It needs to be taught and keep up with it.

 

Straws I’ve never used bottle or can.... get rid of them or charge if wanted. Hit them in the wallet it will help to slow it down 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

For many months now, whenever the wife and I go supermarket shopping in person, we carry a couple of strong cloth bags to carry home all our groceries in. That part always works fine.

 

However, whenever we do online ordering and home delivery thru any of the major supermarkets, we automatically get buried in the plastic bags we really don't want.

 

Tesco, at least, has their delivery people carrying the plastic bagged groceries in square heavy duty cartons, so they probably could skip the plastic bags altogether.  But with Villa and Tops, their drivers bring the groceries in plastic bags and nothing else.

 

[quandow]

It needs to be all or none. I used to play in a band back in the states. One of our regular gigs went to music every other weekend, DJ on the other weekends. People couldn't figure which weekend was which and as there were too many alternatives available, so business plummeted.  Charge a nominal 1 or 2 baht per bag initially, then switch to 10 baht once it sinks in. My never humble opinion.

[rickudon]

On 7/27/2018 at 4:33 PM, Bangkok Barry said:

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.

Er, wrong. The bag disintegrates into bits of microplastic - actually potentially far more dangerous. But of course, out of sight, out of mind. Microplastic is now found in most marine animals stomachs.

[bendejo]

Malaysia started this about 10 years ago.

The plastic bags were not available, but they were quite eager to sell you a cloth bag (app. 20 baht at the time, I think).

 

 

[tropo]

On 7/27/2018 at 11:06 AM, Misterwhisper said:

"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.

 

1

Yes, yes, yes. A publicity stunt, pure and simple.

 

Reminder to self - avoid Central Food Hall and other Tops stores on every 3rd of the month.

[Blue bruce]

There are big stores in America named Costco that sell everything  from clothes to frozen foods. they don't use any plastic bags at all. If you want they give you the cardboard containers that they use to import their supplies. same can be used in Thailand. No use for plastic and recycling cardboard shipping boxes. Great idea