Thailand gets serious about plastic bags

[Essaybloke]

19 hours ago, metisdead said:

Some troll posts have been removed. 

 

Seems Thailand can't get it right with some posters, they get insulted for not cracking down on plastic bag usage and then when try to crack down on plastic bag usage, they get insulted again.  I suppose if you bring your own plastic bags, they'll use your plastic bags.

But reusing plastic bags is a good idea, right? 

[fakename]

No, Makro doesnt give out plastic bags, Its a wholesaler, and everyone comes in a CAR, so they carry their stuff in the carts, out to their CARS, and many like me, have boxes in the CAR to pack things in. People go to 7 for small things and they dont have carts for shopping. Thats why they have plastic. If you dont want the plastic, just tell them! 

[hotchilli]

Single use plastic bags for one day , they call that getting serious...

How about all shopping outlets switching to paper bags 365 days of the year !!!!

Or provide cloth tote bags for a low cost that customers can re-use.

Then get the street vendors to do the same !!!!

That's getting serious..

one day in a year is just a publicity stunt for the purpose of marketing !!

[Speedhump]

For one day. And that's getting real is it. I despair. Bravo, world, bravo. 

[worrab]

Just been into a 7/11 at Bang Saphan Noi and at the till produced my cloth bag to put the goods in. The staff were so impressed, saying "well done" and proceeded to take pictures of me loading the bag. ????

[tifino]

1 minute ago, worrab said:

Just been into a 7/11 at Bang Saphan Noi and at the till produced my cloth bag to put the goods in. The staff were so impressed, saying "well done" and proceeded to take pictures of me loading the bag. ????

 the photography ends up being like a decoy;

as you are then sooo distracted enough to not realise you didnt get your Change back 

[worrab]

1 minute ago, tifino said:

 the photography ends up being like a decoy;

as you are then sooo distracted enough to not realise you didnt get your Change back 

Good thinking but I did get the correct change.

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

I just got back from a branch of well known supermarket and loaded my cart at the checkout without bags. The cashier then gave me a free environmental 'save the planet' shopping bag, reusable but made of plastic????

[recom273]

4 hours ago, ebonykap said:

Is that a Big C policy? At Big C Rachadapisek I just walk in with my backpack every time no question. At the checkout I just say "Mai sai tung" and pack it myself.

If anything, perhaps they should check my backpack when leaving the store (standard procedure in Oz), but they never do.

Yes, seems to be - not just bags, bike helmets, a real pain when you want to just jump in for a couple of bits.

 

Not just big c .. homepro, tesco lotus, many of the big stores - I live in an area where there aren’t too many tourists or expats, the security guards get quite aggressive and will chase after and obstruct your path.

 

i find the checkout girls quite responsive, but you need to load the conveyor correctly, otherwise you end up with too many bags, of course there is always a need to stop them double bagging anything heavier than 2 cans of beans. 

 

[Galactus]

well done. 

but why the hell we need to donate cloth bags to department stores and supermarkets???

it is their responsibility and they need to put their hands into their pockets!

<deleted>.in rich owners of these needs to handle the cloth bags! it is great to get profit from each customer but when it comes to environment, we will donate cloth bags for you?

just silly!

[goonnerone]

20 hours ago, Lungstib said:

So, you can purchase all the goods in plastic pots, bottles, jugs and containers. Food on plastic pressed bases. Noodle and rice pots needing just hot water. Coke, Sprite, Fanta and all the other sweet, fizzy coloured drinks in 2L plastic bottles. Ice cream in heavy duty tubs. Biscuits and cakes in plastic packets, and just about everything double covered in plastic wrapping. But please bring a cloth bag to take it home. Seriously.......

its a start, dont be a Muppet all your life mate 

[balo]

So it doesn't work at 7/11s today ? Reports are telling us they are still handing out plastic.  Maybe they are not included in this one day campaign ?  

I will visit Big C later today . 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2018 by balo

[samsensam]

 

i assume the OP titled the piece with a heavy dose of sarcasm. one day! really, is that the best that thailand can do?

[nanglong218]

Deep breath.  Oh, I love the smell of burning plastic in the morning.  The true smell of rural Thailand.

[BTB1977]

Giving away cloth bags? My local villa market wanted me to buy one for 80 baht. 

[Cake Monster]

11 hours ago, ryane66 said:

Every Time l bring my reusable cloth bag to TESCO , the checkout clerk is looking for a tag to scan. They have no clue what they are. ????

 

Got a couple of reuseable bags today at Big C

The check-out people should know what they are, as "Big C" is plastered over them on all sides.

[HalfLight]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Plastic bag ban to mark Thai Environment Day on Dec 4

 

BANGKOK, 4 December 2018 (NNT) - Convenience stores, modern trade outlets, and shopping malls across Thailand will jointly refrain from providing single-use plastic bags to consumers to mark the Thai Environment Day Dec 4. 

The plastic bag-free day is the outcome of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and operators of convenience stores, modern trade outlets, and shopping malls. The Thai Environment Day has been designated as the launch date of the campaign to reduce single-use plastic bags. 

After tomorrow, all stores and malls will work out their own measures to reduce the use of the plastic bags, such as increasing number of days of plastic bag ban in each week. 

Earlier, several universities asked convenience stores in their campuses to stop providing single-use plastic bags to shoppers. The universities urged them to bring their own reusable bags to carry goods with incentives provided. Reusable bags are also available to be loaned to the shoppers.

 

-- nnt 2018-12-04

 

I confess to having a warm inner glow when I went to Tesco today and had my groceries put in large brown paper bags instead of the usual white ocean-killers..

 

Mind you, Thais are pretty well experienced with brown paper bags and I didn't ask how much the purchases had gone up in price to fund the change...

 

 

Edited December 4, 2018 by HalfLight

[leafmould]

21 hours ago, JAG said:

I never really understood why they gave up using paper bags.

Paper bags break easily, they don't work as well, they are more expensive and take more energy to produce, plastic reduces food decomposition, therefore if plastic bags are recycled or are degradable, as rimping supermarket bags are, paper is worse for the environment.  

I used to reuse plastic bags or take a tote bag or rucksack to shops in the 80's, you'd get wierd looks then. I'm not defending plastic pollution but if it's used well and reused plastic can but useful 

[HalfLight]

26 minutes ago, leafmould said:

Paper bags break easily, they don't work as well, they are more expensive and take more energy to produce, plastic reduces food decomposition, therefore if plastic bags are recycled or are degradable, as rimping supermarket bags are, paper is worse for the environment.  

I used to reuse plastic bags or take a tote bag or rucksack to shops in the 80's, you'd get wierd looks then. I'm not defending plastic pollution but if it's used well and reused plastic can but useful 

 

Hard to argue against all that, it's true enough, the essence of the problem is to be found in the willlingness or otherwise of business to dispose of plastics in a sensible and community-aware manner.

 

Unfortunately they don't, won't and can't. The only ethic of business is 'get your nose in the trough'. End of.

[nanglong218]

1 hour ago, BTB1977 said:

Giving away cloth bags? My local villa market wanted me to buy one for 80 baht. 

They are a dollar AU in ALDI, bring some with you when you next come.

[HHTel]

3 hours ago, Galactus said:

well done. 

but why the hell we need to donate cloth bags to department stores and supermarkets???

it is their responsibility and they need to put their hands into their pockets!

<deleted>.in rich owners of these needs to handle the cloth bags! it is great to get profit from each customer but when it comes to environment, we will donate cloth bags for you?

just silly!

When I was growing up and was sent on 'errands' to the local grocer/butcher etc., I don't ever remember the shopkeeper giving out bags to hold your shopping.  No, I was sent holding one of my mother's shopping bags/baskets.  People today have become completely thoughtless in their shopping habits.  

Not sure how old Galactus is, but many on here are old enough to remember a world without plastic.

[Kevbo]

20 hours ago, Brigand said:

Malls/7-11 and the like should just put up prices on everything in their stores/supermarkets by 1 or 2  baht and issue bio-degradable plastic bags to people in the same fashion as now. Who would notice or complain if their can of tuna cost 41 or 42 baht instead of 40? I couldn't care less about that if it was to introduce environmentally friendly bags. 

Or indeed paper ones !!

[cracker1]

On 12/3/2018 at 4:16 PM, Greyhat said:

Just charge 1THB per plastic bag and watch everyone clutching their purchases in their arms or carrying their own bag everywhere.

Think 5 baht would be more appropriate !

[Kevbo]

10 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Because paper bags were considered to be a waste of valuable timber recourses and a threat to the environment!

Paper and cardboard can be recycled to make brown bags.

fast growing softwood trees can be planted to replace those cut down for paper production ....

[HerbalEd]

On 12/3/2018 at 4:44 PM, zydeco said:

And what if I bring plastic bags with me? Are the stores going to refuse to bag my purchases?

That's the spirit.

[MaxYakov]

On 12/3/2018 at 4:44 PM, zydeco said:

And what if I bring plastic bags with me? Are the stores going to refuse to bag my purchases?

I'd make you purchase a cloth bag from me anyway or insist that you get one. It's only right! ????

 

(The Thais will simply load up your plastic bags, however, so don't worry)

[orchidfan]

Went to Lotus yesterday where big brown paper bags were offered along with platinum if you wanted it.

I took the paper bag which was not easy to secure on the motorbike.

By the time I got home..1km away. .the frozen and other "wet goods"  has turned the bag into a mushy mess whereupon everything just fell out on the ground.

Will take a large cloth bag..or 2 ..next time. Paper didn't work.

[sirineou]

8 minutes ago, orchidfan said:

Went to Lotus yesterday where big brown paper bags were offered along with platinum if you wanted it.

I took the paper bag which was not easy to secure on the motorbike.

By the time I got home..1km away. .the frozen and other "wet goods"  has turned the bag into a mushy mess whereupon everything just fell out on the ground.

Will take a large cloth bag..or 2 ..next time. Paper didn't work.

 I would had taken the platinum 

[lopburi3]

3 minutes ago, orchidfan said:

By the time I got home..1km away. .the frozen and other "wet goods"  has turned the bag into a mushy mess whereupon everything just fell out on the ground.

Will take a large cloth bag..or 2 ..next time. Paper didn't work.

We were aware of that in the 50's and it was the largest factor for fast switch to plastic.  And that was in a cold country so only an issue a few weeks of the year - in Thailand paper is just not viable for any cool items.  Another cutting off the nose to spite the face.  Suspect payment for plastic bags and better garbage disposal would work a lot better than providing something we know does not work.

[HooHaa]

On 12/4/2018 at 12:44 PM, Orton Rd said:

Rubbish, paper is made from renewable crops of trees, they are not cutting down rain forests!

As a Canadian having worked extensively in silviculture for many years, where do you suspect the land for renewable crops of trees came from if not by creating a clearcut to begin with?