Plastic bags: No more from the start of 2021

[Golden Triangle]

The plastic bag situation here is dire & I fully support any move to reduce their use, we have reusable bags and frequently use them, as other posters have highlighted 7/11, Mini Big C and Tesco express seem to enjoy giving you a bag for the smallest of purchases, I kid you not, once I was feeling a little peckish and popped into a convenience store for a Twix bar or something similar and the girl on the checkout put it in a carrier bag - shakes head.

 

They also need to clamp down on Mom & Pop shops, perhaps the government could investigate the production of some cheap non polluting alternatives and make them widely available.

 

In our own small way we try to be nice to the environment, all plastic bottles, (in fact anything plastic) glass bottles and Aluminium cans are all sent to the local recycling people, the Mrs gets a small payout so she's a bit happier and although we do use carrier bags for trash we also have biodegradable bags bought specially. 

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

agreed. everyone should pitch in to make it work. the sucky thing is having to buy garbage bags

Burn your garbage like everyone else does.

[Emdog]

Put a deposit on the bags, perhaps 2-3 baht. People respond to incentives, and money is an incentive. Give something extra for the bottle collectors we see going through dumpsters, etc to recycle. You want to toss in street, okay. Collector can get it: "one man's trash is another man's treasure"

[patsfangr]

1 hour ago, connda said:

It's about time.  I'm not a fan of big government, but there comes a time with government needs to step up and regulate.  The manufacturers of single use plastic as well as the retailers who pass this garbage out will never willing give up plastic because it effects their profits.  It's profits over the environment. 
Although this announcement has been made, personally I'll believe it when I see it.  Both the Petro-Chemical industry who makes single-use plastic as well as the retailers will lobby the Thai government hard not to implement this policy.  When money talks, ideals walk.  So let's see what it looks like come Jan 1, 2021?

I am truly and deeply saddened by the fact that connda is absolutely correct. The petro-chem industry has billions of dollars at stake in this. The'll spend whatever it takes to extend the delays in making plastic bags disappear. 

[55Jay]

What is the strategy already "in-place" to encourage Mom and Pop shops and markets to comply?  Maybe it's fleshed out in the Thai article linked in OP.  

I hope it's not one of those ridiculous ones like, 10 years in prison or a 100 Baht fine.

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Strategies are in place to encourage "mom and pop" stores and fresh food markets to begin to follow suit in the meantime with the aim that Thailand will be plastic bag free by January 1st 2021. 

 

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, Fat Prophet said:

There were "viable alternatives" before plastic bags became common place -- paper bags. There are paper and bio-degradable alternatives readily available to everything made of plastic today, perhaps with the exception of straws. My kids use, wash and reuse metal straws, and they work fine. I have never used a straw in my life (at least that I can remember), and so long as cups, glasses and bottles can be tipped, I do without them just fine. There may be a minor cost/price issue, but the alternatives are there, NOW. 

I returned, just 2 weeks ago, from a town in Egypt where plastic bags and takeaway food containers have been completely eliminated. Other plastic containers, such as water bottles are reprocessed and become a constituent in the manufacture of paving stones.

 

It can be done. 

[upena]

Anyone care to bet?

[helvellyn]

Regarding mom and pop stores.  There's an independent grocery store in a village near me that doesn't have any plastic bags.  You either have to take your own bag, buy one of their linen bags or just carry your shopping out in your arms.  It isn't some high end store, just a local store for local people.  Everyone seems fine with it and it's always busy.

 

The other part of the problem is rubbish collection.  Most people outside cities and town centres don't have rubbish collection.  They either have to burn their rubbish or fly-tip it.  This has created a littering culture because why take home a food wrapper when you know you have to go to the effort of burning it and creating toxic fumes when you can just drop it in the street.

[DrTuner]

Good and next the hemp bags, please. I used one for years going to my local Tengelmann in Germany, durable bags.

[DLock]

2021...close enough for those involved to get all the credit...far enough away for those involved to forget about it.

 

And why only 30% reduction? Be a real forward thinking country and ban them outright and come up with a viable alternative.

 

This will never happen. Thai's lack the vision, commitment and resolve to see this through. The first complaint at Tesco they will say that they need to rethink this and it's on hold until 2025.

 

Fail.

[patsfangr]

32 minutes ago, Cory1848 said:

It doesn’t require a “nanny state” to make the determination that plastic bags and plastic straws are horrendously bad for the environment -- which is the environment of all of us. As for taxing high-sugar drinks, cigarettes, and other consumables that are demonstrably bad for one’s health, people who consume these items and as a result become chronically ill and require medical care drive up costs for all of us -- in the way of increased taxes and insurance premiums.

 

So, yes, one person’s selfishness adversely affects another person’s quality of life.

It's a line that's more difficult to draw than most people want to admit, Cory. I'm a "right of center" Republican in the USA. I strongly oppose what I consider to be too much government. But how much is too much? We all agree that laws are required to regulate the operation of motor vehicles, because a total lack of them would be unimaginable carnage. But, while nearly everyone now acknowledges that cigarette smoke does significantly increase the likelihood of cancer; there is a lot of disagreement over how restrictive laws should be on smokers, or, for that matter, on manufacturers of cigarettes. What about marijuana; and stronger drugs? Again, major disagreement over the degree to which those should be regulated. The question of who and what should be regulated, and to what degree, will never be solved to the satisfaction of all people. Most people find satisfaction somewhere between anarchy and absolute fascism. But there's a hell of a lot of space between the two where most of those people will still disagree! 

[helloagain]

3 hours ago, 2long said:

Please no Thai bashing.

This may be a small and late step, but it's a step in the right direction and a good thing.

They almost asked to be bashed. 

[Benmart]

2 hours ago, vinniekintana said:

Nanny state without any of the benefits of nanny states.

The worst of both worlds.

 

I live life on life's terms. I can always seek the company of my old nanny if I am unhappy with the new one.

[Jane Dough]

Note to self. Invest in cloth bag industry.

 

Rooster

[Benmart]

There are those that are unhappy because nothing is being done. There are those that are unhappy because something is being done. Then there are those that are simply unhappy people and happy to spread the infection.

[Time Traveller]

Either,

1. This is another typical incorrect Thai media fake news story, OR

2. This is going to end in disaster for Thailand, and I definitely do not want to be around when plastic bags are banned.

 

Plastic bags - love them or hate them - have done more to prevent the spread of food borne bacteria and viruses than any medicine in the 20th century. 

 

Good luck with every thing wrapped in your hygenically sealed biodegradable paper bags !

 

[fxe1200]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

everyone agrees with the concept but it is only workable if a viable alternative is found

 

and plastic bags are only part of the problem

There are viable alternatives. I take my linen bags to the shopping center since years. I do not use single use plastic at all and recyle all PET, PE, PP, Glas. It is all up to you.  - Do something, lead, follow, or get out of the way (Ted Turner)

[Tanlic]

Anyone wanna buy 30 million string bags?????

[joecoolfrog]

Good move !

[Bantex]

When they started to charge for plastic bags in the U.K. the large supermarkets initially gave out heavy duty plastic carrier bags referred to as “Bag for Life” to everyone. When the bag wore out or got damaged you took it to the supermarket for a free replacement with the option to buy more bags if needed. These are used everywhere by UK shoppers & as they carry the supermarkets brand logo, they get free advertising into the bargain. The use of free plastic bags has stopped in all shops. I even brought some with me for use in Thailand & it’s become automatic for me to take them with me when I go shopping.

[johng]

31 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I returned, just 2 weeks ago, from a town in Egypt where plastic bags and takeaway food containers have been completely eliminated. Other plastic containers, such as water bottles are reprocessed and become a constituent in the manufacture of paving stones.

 

It can be done. 

What did the street vendors use  as replacement containers for superheated soups that customers take home on their motorbike mirrors ?

 

Plastic bags can be turned back into oil/fuel

 

[Bob12345]

3 hours ago, vinniekintana said:

Nanny state without any of the benefits of nanny states.

The worst of both worlds.

 

Agree, i came here hoping it would be sort of a wild west. Open carry of guns, shooting at whoever makes eye-contact, ramming people with your car, torching all you garbage in your front garden, <deleted>ting in shopping malls, steeling whatever you want to have...

 

But now it is becoming a nanny state. With laws, rules, and prison sentences for killing.

 

I will be looking for a new place to live where there is no nanny state! Somewhere in a war zone in Afghanistan or something, where i can be free. Will be looking for visa options for that region soon.

[davemos]

All good but when i look at my waste its not so much plastic bags its packaging .. bananas in plastic oranges in plastic milk in plastic etc therein is the problem  Start there as well please !

[johng]

17 minutes ago, Tanlic said:

Anyone wanna buy 30 million string bags?????

Maybe Ganja bags..they are talking about every Thai citizen being allowed to grow 6 plants each

[bbbbooboo]

Hmm.... until Thais stop seeing the world as their personal rubbish dump not much is likely to change. However this should mean less plastic bags will be dumped but TIT

[Fat Prophet]

1 hour ago, fforest1 said:

So every one will need to carry a bag with them at all times now....Never know when you want to go shopping......

Makro does not provide "free" bags, plastic or otherwise, to shoppers. You can buy a large and heavy (intended for multiple use) plastic bag for B8 each. Ninety percent + of the shoppers leave the store without bags, and just load the purchased items from the shopping car into their car/truck. Seems to work pretty well, and without complaints (at least none that I have observed). Most shoppers are more than satisfied to do without bags being provided because of the lower price of the items offered. I see many Thais loading the items that they have bought into large reusable woven plastic bags and then riding away on a Wave. The quantity of stuff can be amazing, but they do it without complaint because of the perceived savings -- no drama, no complaints, no grumbling. I carry a large backpack under the seat of my Forza at all times, just in case I stop at Makro and need to pick up some things. It is my regular store of choice. Without plastic bags offered, people will survive and adjust quickly and easily, especially if there is a perceived price reduction (probably something that Tesco, Big C and Topps will want to avoid). A return to paper backs offered by the stores, either "free" or at a per unit charge, is the likely response, at least short term. Long term, much will be spent on research to develop rapidly degrading plastics to solve the problem. Laws like this, if aggressively enforced, will be a catalyst for positive change that we and our children desperately need. Stay tuned......

[Spock]

2 hours ago, vinniekintana said:

Nanny state without any of the benefits of nanny states.

The worst of both worlds.

 

I agree with you but not in regard to plastic bags. Thailand has to be the worst offender I have seen for their unnecessary use. 

[Spock]

1 hour ago, ICELANDMAN said:

it would be a good thing if at school there was a teaching program on the protection of one's own territory. Education is the only road that will still be long for a........ few centuries maybe.

 

Teachers are probably as oblivious to the environmental dangers of plastic bags as anyone else in the community.

[zydeco]

2 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Just make the possession of a plastic bag be a automatic 1 year in jail.....So if you had 10 plastic bags that would be 10 years in jail.....If you had 20 plastic bags that would be 20 years in jail....  

And if you have a plastic straw on you, then that's the death penalty.

[canuckamuck]

The real problem is that Thailand has a major litter problem. What a huge difference would be made if they simply didn't leave garbage all over the place. All of those bags properly disposed of would make a 100% difference in the amount of bags getting to  the ocean. Wouldn't that be an easy place to start. A well thought out anti-littering campaign like the western world had in the 70's.