Bring your own bag shopping, starting today

By The Nation

 

 

Starting on Wednesday, people going out shopping may want to bring along their own reused or cloth bags to carry goods, as many shopping malls in Thailand have commenced campaigns to reduce the use of plastic bags.

 

This move coincides with the July 3 International Plastic Bag Free Day 2019 – celebrated by millions in 170 countries and aimed to encourage people to be more aware of their plastic use and create a cleaner world for generations to come. 

 

The Mall Group has launched “The Mall Group Go Green: Green Everyday” to encourage shoppers to use their own cloth bags and refrain from using plastic bags on a daily basis. Those in need of a plastic bag will be asked for a Bt1 donation for each one, with proceeds going to fund environmental conservation work by WWF-Thailand.

 

Tesco Lotus will add 100 points to a customer’s club card membership if they refuse to take a plastic bag on July 3. The company says it has already kept 180 million plastic bags out of use.

 

Central Group's campaign, dubbed “Central Love the Earth: Say No to Plastic Bags”, launched on June 5, with a vow to reduce the use of more than 150 million plastic bags this year.

 

The move was viewed by many as a timely action, with Thailand reportedly using 500 million plastic bags per day, or eight plastic bags per head, with 20 per cent of them destined for the seas where they cause harm to marine life.

 

Source: http://www.nationthailand.com/news/30372214

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand  2019-07-03

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What's with these companies just doing one off no bag days? Just ban plastic bags. Simple. If one person complains there's no plastic bags then screw them. They'll be sure to take their own bag shopping with them next time. Just stop trying to score cheap points by pretending to care about the environment and ban the plastic already.

I take my own reusable cloth bags for my weekly shop at Central Food Hall, and usually all 5 of them are filled. However, occasionally when out and not intending to shop at a grocery store, I remember that I need something I forgot at the weekly shop. I am not in the habit of carrying reusable bags around with me, so I have to resort to whatever (usually plastic) bag the store provides. The Paragon or Emporium grocery store is usually one such candidate, so I'll happily cough up the THB1 for a bag. But why not make paper bags?

1 hour ago, webfact said:

This move coincides with the July 3 International Plastic Bag Free Day 2019

And tomorrow, everything back to normal?

I don’t get it, which bags you use to dump your garbage? Plastic garbage bags right? I use ALL plastic shopping bags for garbage. If tomorrow supermarkets stop giving plastic shopping bags, I will be forced to buy garbage bags. Where is the win?
On the contrary, why supermarkets don’t use a plastic bags more resembling to garbage bags to ensure double use and make it biodegradable.


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Nothing special, the wife has always come along

Edited July 3, 20197 yr by thaimelody

Quote

REEVES: A researcher at Loma Linda University Health found that almost all reusable grocery bags carry bacteria in them.

KELIKANI: And 10 percent of the reusable bags he collected from shoppers contained E. Coli, a fecal bacteria that can make us sick.

Dr. Ryan Sinclair, Environmental Microbiologist: So by being environmentally friendly and thinking that you're going green with a reusable grocery bag, you actually are increasing the chance of bringing your home bacteria into the store or bringing bacteria that was in the store back to your home.    https://lluh.org/patients-visitors/health-wellness/live-it/online-health-show/episode-2-reusable-grocery-bags

Danger in reusable grocery bags.

29 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

And tomorrow, everything back to normal?

 

This article and the activities it describes are perfect symbols for Thailand -- the appearance of doing something, when in fact, doing little to nothing in reality.

 

Stop providing plastic bags at stores, and/or start using paper or biodegradable like those, for example, that Villa Market uses. They're plenty sturdy for carrying groceries... But take them home, let them sit a year or two, and they deteriorate into thin scraps of almost like tissue.

 

 

6 minutes ago, zydeco said:

Danger in reusable grocery bags.

 We use cloth bags that can be put into the washing machine as often as needed.

24 minutes ago, luk AJ said:

I don’t get it, which bags you use to dump your garbage? Plastic garbage bags right? I use ALL plastic shopping bags for garbage. If tomorrow supermarkets stop giving plastic shopping bags, I will be forced to buy garbage bags. Where is the win?
 

 

The article says Thailand, with a population of 60 million or so, uses about 500 million plastic bags per day... or an average of 8 per day per person.

 

Do you and everyone else really have that much trash to dispose of daily?

 

Change to paper? What about deforestation? 

Personally. I don't think that the supermarket bags are the big issue in Thailand. Their bags are quite thin and degrade very quickly. And it's evident that the staff are being now trained to limit the issue of bags and other plastic sundries such as spoons and straws.

 

The big problem areas are the markets and small shops. It's an automatic reflex for the vendor to reach for the plastic bag and an equally automatic reflex for the customer to accept it without question.

 

Millions upon millions of single use bags are used daily in these outlets and there is no control whatsoever other than personal discipline, which in this country is, I'm afraid, sadly lacking.

Edited July 3, 20197 yr by Moonlover

11 minutes ago, Curt1591 said:

Change to paper? What about deforestation? 

What about using bamboo for disposable plates, cutlery, bags, clothing , towels, plenty of it.

Create a new industry.

I have always taken my own bags to shops here, they used to grin, used to look at me strangely when I would say "no plastic" for everything, some still laugh and just say "farang"  

 

Be the change you want to see happen

15 minutes ago, Curt1591 said:

Change to paper? What about deforestation? 

Paper, by and large, does not cause deforestation as it is made from quick growing softwood trees that can be replenished in a sustainable way.

Never needed a bag at all at Makro. Just roll the cart with the goods to the back of the car and load up.

5 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

The big problem areas are the markets and small shops. It's an automatic reflex for the vendor to reach for the plastic bag and an equally automatic reflex for the customer to accept it without question. Millions upon millions of single use bags are used daily in these outlets and there is control whatever other than personal discipline, which in this country is sadly lacking.

Ordering food from a street cart usually nets at least five food grade bags. The kind that'll stay in the environment for ages. It could be easily fixed but laziness wins:

 

Bags have a bad rep, i use mine as bins

24 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Personally. I don't think that the supermarket bags are the big issue in Thailand. Their bags are quite thin and degrade very quickly.

 

Not sure about that... I get plastic bags from outlets such as Tesco and Tops from time to time, and save them at home and sometimes use them for storing things at home vs. putting them in the trash. They seem to survive intact and without deteriorating for as long as I've had them... unlike the different variety that Villa uses, which do in fact decompose eventually.

 

Bring your own bag shopping, starting today.

Bloody cheek, I always drag my wife along when I need to go chopping>

 

1 hour ago, zydeco said:

Danger in reusable grocery bags.

Carrying a re-usable cloth bag after scratching your bum then picking nose can also be bad I've heard.

What about the tons of plastic garbage masquerading as useful implements that line the shelves in all these stores, are they going to stop selling them as well? then what will happen to the by product of oil? just paying lip service to a "trendy" subject while doing nothing substantial IMO.

supermarket bags are banned in Australia so I see this as a good start. Still a long way to go...but ????

they gave me a free multi use bag at Central today. Free bag if you spend >800 baht

Edited July 3, 20197 yr by ianezy0

supermarket bags are banned in Australia so I see this as a good start. Still a long way to go...but [emoji846]
they gave me a free multi use bag at Central today. Free bag if you spend >800 baht

In the UK when they stopped providing bags for free i just started buying loads of bags for the rubbish bin. Net effect no change

I always bring along my own bag, good job she doesn't understand what I mean

1 hour ago, zydeco said:

Danger in reusable grocery bags.

I have been using the reusable plastic bags I bought from Macro years ago.

 

After each shop my Thai wife cleans and airs them - ready for next shop.

Vegetables imported from China are all rich in E-coli due to the fact it is normal for farmers there to use sewerage as fertiliser.

 

We don't consume Chinese products and we clean our shopping bags - - - -

Today at TOPS in Khon Kaen.

No need to bring a bag.

The whole cashier area was filled up with empty cardboard boxes of the products they sell.

What a view in such a posh shopping place

I took the chance and stuffed my few things in one and carried to the car (park).

And I was not lazy to bring the box back

(forgot my fancy Villa bag in the car)

Edited July 3, 20197 yr by KhunBENQ

We've been using a couple of Tesco bags we bought when in the UK which have warning labels regarding contamination. It wasn't until we used them in Tesco that we realised that you get extra points.  We often use them in the market as well. 

 

They probably need to promote it more or charge for bags so people notice.  There was a campaign about 2 years ago I think trying to cut the number of bags used. 

the issue of the dangers of plastic bags is very overated when one considers the amount of methane gas emmited from a good fart,yet it would appear no one wants to address the issue of flatulance,will the ozone layer have to develop  more holes than a string vest before action is taken?

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

2 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Personally. I don't think that the supermarket bags are the big issue in Thailand. Their bags are quite thin and degrade very quickly.

 

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Not sure about that... I get plastic bags from outlets such as Tesco and Tops from time to time, and save them at home and sometimes use them for storing things at home vs. putting them in the trash. They seem to survive intact and without deteriorating for as long as I've had them... unlike the different variety that Villa uses, which do in fact decompose eventually.

 

Sorry, but that's not really a fair comparison. Supermarket chains worldwide have, for quite some time been supplying bags that break down quickly in the environment. Kept in the home, away from sunlight and the elements and they will survive longer of course.

 

But none the less. kudos to you for keeping and reusing them. ???? 

 

 

 

 

I don’t get it, which bags you use to dump your garbage? Plastic garbage bags right? I use ALL plastic shopping bags for garbage. If tomorrow supermarkets stop giving plastic shopping bags, I will be forced to buy garbage bags. Where is the win?
On the contrary, why supermarkets don’t use a plastic bags more resembling to garbage bags to ensure double use and make it biodegradable.


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