"Foreigners throw trash too, you know!" - Thais reject notion they are solely to blame

[Katipo]

Reminds me of something that happened a few years ago. I was with friends, foreign and Thai, in a Songtaew we'd hired taking us back to Kanchanaburi from one of the waterfalls. One of the Thai women with us (an educated financial controller), was about to throw her polystyrene carton and utensils out the side, when some of us foreigners let out gasps and shouted "no". Somewhat guiltily she stopped, put everything in a plastic bag, tied it up nicely, and then threw it out side ????

[d2b2]

I clean the beach near my Hua Hin home, almost daily. I usually pick up two to three bags each day. Often I will encounter other farang doing the same, but I have only seen one or two Thais doing this.

Making matters worse, I have experienced Thais thanking me for cleaning their beach, while simultaneously throwing their garbage to the sand. Really? Seriously? The trash can is 3 meters away. 

Most western countries have woken up to the problem of litter long ago, and find the trash accumulating in Thailand to be repulsive. Of course there are foreigners that litter, but personal experience as well as the vast amounts of garbage accumulating away from tourists areas demonstrate this is mostly a Thai problem. 

Instead of having “Bike for Dad Day” , perhaps Thais would be better served by having “Clean Up Your Country For Dad Day”. People are far less likely to litter if they have spent some time picking up after their fellow countrymen. 

[toenail]

Walking along Beach Road promenade in Pattaya one cannot help but notice the majority of those who litter ( leaving the foam boxed & plastic drink cups around) are the Thais. Many of these Thais don’t care because 1) they have never been educated that it is a shame to leave your garbage on the ground 2) Most Thais working in the city are outsiders, from other provinces so don’t care 3) Not enough garbage bins around

Note: Thais in the rural towns are more conscious about keeping their neighborhoods clean and not leaving litter around.

[ReMarKable]

I must admit, I have copied Thai behavior in the past.

[jimmynewbie]

24 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

The issue is not Thais or foreigners throwing garbage on the beach or road but whether there is a gov system in place to operationally manage and enforce a proper waste management system?

 

in 19 years here, I have not seen one and there is daily evidence that an effective one doesn’t exists....

Education is the problem! How can the government clean up rubbish thrown in rivers and down drains, it would help prevent floods too

Yes the management is poor and should be improved but with the amount of rubbish thrown on the streets it would be a very hard and expensive task.

[GinBoy2]

5 minutes ago, toenail said:

 

Note: Thais in the rural towns are more conscious about keeping their neighborhoods clean and not leaving litter around.

I wish that was my experience, but sadly not.

 

I think the only difference between urban and rural is the volume of garbage dumped everywhere

[RichardColeman]

To most Thais it seems the bin is anywhere outside the car window.

[Kanaloa]

Well they would say that wouldn’t they?  By far the worst are the fishermen. It’s lack of education. We spent the last two years trying to clean up our local beach and eventually gave it up as a hopeless task. It is about time the local Council s stepped up to the plate and accepted their responsibility to clean their beaches on a daily basis. After all the tourists are a massive income stream and it’s about time they put some of that money back to at least give them a clean beach. They should be ashamed of themselves. Beaches in Europe are cleaned every morning even the small ones

[stanleycoin]

20 minutes ago, d2b2 said:

I

Instead of having “Bike for Dad Day” , perhaps Thais would be better served by having “Clean Up Your Country For Dad Day”. People are far less likely to litter if they have spent some time picking up after their fellow countrymen. 

They could use the prison population for this.

Bring on the Chain Gangs,  Win Win. 

 

Don't you know,  that's the sound of the men,  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

Edited October 19, 2018 by stanleycoin

[crazykopite]

While I write this I am looking over to my neighbours land and can see a big mound of rubbish ready to burn in that pile I can see plastic , tyres, coconut branches , wood that has varnish and paint on it they burn this on a regular basis ignoring complaints not only from farangs but from there fellow Thais , they think that burning it in the dead of night when we are all in bed does no harm they have no consideration for their neighbours or the environment . I have tried to explain to them what damage they do but they just smile and shrug their shoulders ☹️

[UncleE]

16 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

17 hours ago, Thian said:

Where's the robot they built to clean beaches? Haven't seen him anymore after the introductions. Is he still alive?

 

Yeah it's a No Brainer.   

 

A Barber commercial beach cleaning machine will take out everything down to cig butts and oil droplets as deep as 8" under the surface.   They cost $50,000 USD or about 1.7 million baht.   It will cover at least 10 sq km per night.   20 years ago I started a website drive to get one for Karon Beach, foreign business contributed but not Thai.   The government will spend billions on useless projects without spending this money.   We fell little bit short on the drive so had to return all the money to contributors as there was zero interest from government to use one of the million tractors they have to pull it around every night.   

 

http://www.hbarber.com/videos/surf-rake-videos.html

 

5 years of machine cleaning beaches where all the trash washes up will solve 90% of the problem.........

 

Let's get modern and attack the problem with a real solution.  Can't use a tablespoon to dig the foundation for a skyscraper.

 

Cheers

[UncleE]

They use em to nuke the beach after a Hurricane so Thai beaches should be no problem.

 

 

[Emdog]

"The poster said that Thais should be ashamed that a foreigner was collecting rubbish."

Be ashamed Thais aren't collecting rubbish

Recently teams of city workers have been cleaning Jomtien beach at least one morning a week. Progress of a sort

[smew]

Been here 17yrs now with outside work periods of one/two months at a time and never I have I seen foreigners throw any trash on or near the beach !

Watch how thais sweep out their portion of sidewalks/areas on front of their houses, and you will learn:  just get the dirt/trash away from their space and onto somewhere else.

[jaiyen]

Where are the rubbish bins ??  They don't need them cos there is no rubbish collection cos there is nowhere to put it !!  Local councils are not interested in the problem.  So people just dump it or leave it where they have finished. DO NOT blame a Thai problem on tourists.

[stanleycoin]

14 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

While I write this I am looking over to my neighbours land and can see a big mound of rubbish ready to burn in that pile I can see plastic , tyres, coconut branches , wood that has varnish and paint on it they burn this on a regular basis ignoring complaints not only from farangs but from there fellow Thais , they think that burning it in the dead of night when we are all in bed does no harm they have no consideration for their neighbours or the environment . I have tried to explain to them what damage they do but they just smile and shrug their shoulders ☹️

It's just one more new Hub.

The Hub of,  I Don't Care. 

[Aussieroaming]

5 hours ago, jimmynewbie said:

Right on cue, this is a Thai forum not Aus.

I find Aus very clean compared to Thailand, get fined for littering even a cig butt

In all my time there did not ever see them throwing rubbish into rivers, fisherman did not throw rubbish over the sides.

Gold Coast must be really bad compared to Sunshine coast although i doubt it

 

Thanks for your forum clarification, I was responding to a previous comment. I guess the Clean Up Australia campaign was never needed on the Sunshine Coast, because according to your comments nobody has ever dropped rubbish there......you are talking trash in regards to Aussies never throwing litter I believe. A global problem shouldnt be misintepreted as a Thai only issue and I agree that the Thais also trash the place.

[Aussieroaming]

5 hours ago, jimmynewbie said:

Right on cue, this is a Thai forum not Aus.

I find Aus very clean compared to Thailand, get fined for littering even a cig butt

In all my time there did not ever see them throwing rubbish into rivers, fisherman did not throw rubbish over the sides.

Gold Coast must be really bad compared to Sunshine coast although i doubt it

 

Quote from QLD Minister....open your eyes Jimmy newbie.

 

Minister’s foreword
Every day across Queensland, our parks, streets, forests and waterways are subjected to 
pollution from litter and illegally dumped waste.
Plastic bags, cigarette butts, glass bottles, hazardous materials and other wastes are 
discarded thoughtlessly. These actions impact on our local communities, as well as the 
environment. On a larger scale, domestic and commercial waste illegally dumped by the 
trailer and truck load, leaves the clean-up and costs to others.
Litter and illegally dumped waste create dirty and unsafe places that detract from the 
enjoyment of people using urban and green spaces. 
Litter and illegal dumping costs Queensland millions of dollars each year. An environment 
polluted with rubbish deters visitors and impacts on the state’s tourism industry.
Littering and illegal dumping also threatens our marine animals, native wildlife and 
natural ecosystems. Children are at risk of injury or worse from broken glass, discarded 
needles, demolition waste, asbestos and rusting metal. 
Items that could be recycled are wasted, and the opportunity for reuse is lost. The regrettable 
volumes of illegally dumped commercial waste highlight this missed opportunity and the

 

[stanleycoin]

4 minutes ago, Aussieroaming said:

Thanks for your forum clarification, I was responding to a previous comment. I guess the Clean Up Australia campaign was never needed on the Sunshine Coast, because according to your comments nobody has ever dropped rubbish there......you are talking trash in regards to Aussies never throwing litter I believe. A global problem shouldnt be misintepreted as a Thai only issue and I agree that the Thais also trash the place.

It was the big Abo that did it,  and run away. 

[dave moir]

17 hours ago, stud858 said:

Nothing to do with it. Everyone will do what they want. It's up to city Hall to ensure the town is tidy. It's as if nobody is assigned to the task at all. 

Everyone should be responsible for their own rubbish! If people would take more responsibility for their actions the world would be a cleaner better place.

[Cricky]

18 hours ago, lujanit said:

I think that most of the rubbish washed up on beaches comes from boats at sea, and not necessarily all Thai vessels.

Yes, also nearby drains, street runoff.

[Ban Phe Dezza]

18 hours ago, Thian said:

Where's the robot they built to clean beaches? Haven't seen him anymore after the introductions. Is he still alive?

Many years ago in the land down under we had a tractor with a blade skimming the beach towing a Cylindrical cage sand Rubbish all went in and due to small holes the sand exited and was spread along the Beach   not seen the same in many years 

 

[fullcave]

18 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

Oh come on,i have seen large groups of Thai's all sit down to eat and leave all the foam/plastic box's cup and plastic cutlery in a big heap under a tree,not many foreigners do that.

In the middle of the beach, national park or historical park. It's a Thai tradition and they well become violent if you say anything. TIT! If you don't like, go home! 

[fullcave]

1 hour ago, Katipo said:

Reminds me of something that happened a few years ago. I was with friends, foreign and Thai, in a Songtaew we'd hired taking us back to Kanchanaburi from one of the waterfalls. One of the Thai women with us (an educated financial controller), was about to throw her polystyrene carton and utensils out the side, when some of us foreigners let out gasps and shouted "no". Somewhat guiltily she stopped, put everything in a plastic bag, tied it up nicely, and then threw it out side ????

Clever. 

[Thaimike370]

It is not only the beaches that are used as trash dumps, the roadsides are also used as builders dumps.  This can not be blamed on foreign ships or ex-pat farangs.

[neeray]

3 hours ago, garyk said:

I have a Thai neighbor back in the States! Believe me they bring their discusting filthy habits with them when they relocate. Awful!

 

 

What a shame that you generalize. I have a Thai friend in my home country. She keeps her home neat, clean and tidy, inside and out.

And I have many Thai friends in the Kingdom. None of them keep their homes the way you describe.

Hmm......Must be the company that you keep, the circles that you travel in.

With that said, I am fully aware of the ones who don't practice good housekeeping and proper garbage disposal. Pity.

[Sonhia]

Thais in general are far more untidy, messy and carefree about their disposal of waste and litter, but will not accept fault.

 

The proof is in clear sight and everywhere to be seen. The way businesses are conducted, be it fixing motorbikes to working a market stall, construction, electrical cabling, street vendors, not forgetting their own and very messy abodes and gardens as well as schools etc... 

 

For those who have experienced the real Thailand, you may understand my point.

 

Some foreigners are untidy, that's true, but in general, Thais are far worse and more the culprit.

 

As always, foreigners are to blame for Thai mistakes and short falls.

 

Cannot loose face.

Cannot admit failure plus responsibility.

 

It's no wonder tourism is dropping off with  businesses closing etc...

 

Bite the hand that feeds, will stop the hand feeding!

 

 

Edited October 19, 2018 by Sonhia
Spelling mistake

[RasiMike]

When my wife opened her corner store business, she placed one bin on the inside of the door near the counter, another at the top of the stairs leading into the store and one at the gate on the roadside. The distance is less than 5 metres from the road to the counter but, despite requesting they use them, the kids, adults and old people alike would drop their candy wrappers, chip packets and bottle tops everywhere BUT in the bins provided. My kids and I would have to walk the street and clean it up again every morning. At first it p_ssed me off but the kids learned some valuable lessons (like making pocket money by selling some of the trash) and it became something else at which to smile in wonderment.

[HuaHinHim]

Once a year a we pony up with a couple other people and get a large stretch of the jungle cut back as it swallows up the road (local council job, but they never do it), well after the jungle is cut back all you can see is the plastic bags of garbage that have been thrown in the jungle, it really is a national disgrace and unfortunately it will take being highlighted by foreigners to get anything done about it, until not littering becomes a way of life. I have travelled to a lot of Asian countries and it is pretty common to see where substandard governments are in control

[cmrichsw]

Thai people show us how we will follow your example