Major Thai stores to stop giving out plastic bags by 2020 - minister

 

File photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Retailers and convenience stores in Thailand have pledged to stop giving plastic bags to customers from next year in a bid to reduce plastic waste, the country's environment minister said.

 

Major operators will stop providing single-use plastic bags, starting January 2020, after signing up to a government programme, Varawut Silpa-archa, the natural resources and environment minister, wrote on his Facebook page late on Monday.

 

Varawut said "43 department stores and convenience stores around the country have joined the programme to stop handing out plastic bags", urging the public to use alternatives, such as cloth bags, for shopping.

 

Companies in the programme include CPALL Pcl <CPALL.BK>, which operates more than 10,000 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand, and the country's largest retailer, Central Group.

 

"Convenience will slightly be reduced in order to extend the life of the environment," he said.

 

The Thai government earlier said it would ban three types of plastic - microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastics - by the end of the year.

 

Environmental group Greenpeace says about 75 billion pieces of plastic bags end up in the waste each year in Thailand and half of this is from malls, supermarkets and convenience stores, with the other half coming from traditional markets and street vendors.

 

These bags are part of almost 2 million tonnes of plastic waste produced each year by Thai consumers.

 

"This is a good start ... I hope this is not just a PR exercise" said Tara Buakamsri, Greenpeace's country director in Thailand. "The challenges is in the working details in how to measure progress and ensure that the measure is effective in really banning the use of plastic bag."

 

Many department stores and supermarkets in Thailand already have their own programmes to cut down on plastic bags.

 

The Mall Group Co. Ltd, who owns the popular Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok, has since July offered customers incentives by charging 1 baht per plastic bag, with proceeds going to environmental causes, the company said.

 

($1 = 30.5400 baht)

 

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Alex Richardson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-25

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Again: I will believe it, when I see it!

Not a nano- second earlier!

Are stores going to stop giving out plastic bags to feel all green and fuzzy and loose untold billions of baht?.....No way..........Most people will not be carrying cloth bags around,not today not tomorrow not ever...Plastic is here to stay get use to it..... 

Edited September 25, 20196 yr by fforest1

think they are missing the fact that most Thais eat from a vendor at least twice a day and the food comes in a plastic bag or carton.

My local HomePro no longer gives out plastic bags and the local Villa Supermarket activity discourages there use.

will someone wake this idiot up; that news was announced last week.

Expect civil war at 7/11 stores....

typical govt involvement with the encouragement of environmental wackos. go ahead and try that at Tesco-Lotus... I'll have a cart full of groceries run up, and ask where are the plastic bags before paying. Mi Mee Sir.... Ooops sorry, Mi Mee plastic bag eh? Pom Mi Mee ngern, bye bye, and good luck putting all those groceries back on the shelves.

If it really happens, the problem persists!
Example Makro, they do not give plastic bags but, vegetables, meat, cheese and so on, they are packed in plastic bags like all the supermarkets do!
THE SOLUTIONS ARE THERE, YOU MUST HAVE THE COURAGE TO FACE THEM!
It's not easy but we can do it!
YES WE CAN !!!!

12 hours ago, glennb6 said:

typical govt involvement with the encouragement of environmental wackos. go ahead and try that at Tesco-Lotus... I'll have a cart full of groceries run up, and ask where are the plastic bags before paying. Mi Mee Sir.... Ooops sorry, Mi Mee plastic bag eh? Pom Mi Mee ngern, bye bye, and good luck putting all those groceries back on the shelves.

How would you get your groceries back to your house, if ALL shops stop using plastic bags ?

15 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Are stores going to stop giving out plastic bags to feel all green and fuzzy and loose untold billions of baht?.....No way..........Most people will not be carrying cloth bags around,not today not tomorrow not ever...Plastic is here to stay get use to it..... 

In the UK , ALL shops have banned plastic bags

1 minute ago, glennb6 said:

typical govt involvement with the encouragement of environmental wackos. go ahead and try that at Tesco-Lotus... I'll have a cart full of groceries run up, and ask where are the plastic bags before paying. Mi Mee Sir.... Ooops sorry, Mi Mee plastic bag eh? Pom Mi Mee ngern, bye bye, and good luck putting all those groceries back on the shelves.

I hope not too many people think like you!

2 minutes ago, glennb6 said:

typical govt involvement with the encouragement of environmental wackos. go ahead and try that at Tesco-Lotus... I'll have a cart full of groceries run up, and ask where are the plastic bags before paying. Mi Mee Sir.... Ooops sorry, Mi Mee plastic bag eh? Pom Mi Mee ngern, bye bye, and good luck putting all those groceries back on the shelves.

I've already done that at Tops, when I got caught in one of their plastic free shopping days and there was no warning in the store. I put my things on the conveyor. The woman started running it through the cash register and simply dumping items by the side. I said, where's the bag. She said, no bag. I just walked away.

5 minutes ago, glennb6 said:

typical govt involvement with the encouragement of environmental wackos. go ahead and try that at Tesco-Lotus... I'll have a cart full of groceries run up, and ask where are the plastic bags before paying. Mi Mee Sir.... Ooops sorry, Mi Mee plastic bag eh? Pom Mi Mee ngern, bye bye, and good luck putting all those groceries back on the shelves.

I guess you will be going hungry then.

3 hours ago, lujanit said:

My local HomePro no longer gives out plastic bags and the local Villa Supermarket activity discourages there use.

My local HomePro also no longer gives out plastic bags as I found out after turning up at the checkout with approximately thirty small items from packets of screws, plugs and glue Etc. . . . . Amazing how they can find a bag when you start to walk away leaving everything at checkout because you don't have a bag of your own. . . . 

 

Every 7/11 I know double bag everything and add two plastic straws just incase. . . .

 

 

Edited September 25, 20196 yr by Grumpy Old Man

Typical Thai over-reaction and extremism: from masses of bags for every straw, blade of grass and microscopic item of purchase - to no bags at all.

It's ridiculous. 

This is NOT customer service by any stretch of the imagination

There should be biodegradablei bags provided free of charge - or, alternatively, charge 5 baht per bag. But to give no bags at all is idiotic (and I find to my chagrin that many shops have already started, overnight, doing this - so that one has to constantly carry bags around with one - if one does not have a car - in case one wants to go shopping somewhere). 

It's all ridiculous, extremist, over-the-top nonsense (like banning smoking on beaches - and I am not a smoker!).

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The Mall Group Co. Ltd, who owns the popular Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok, has since July offered customers incentives by charging 1 baht per plastic bag, with proceeds going to environmental causes, the company said.

Shameful as this does nothing for the environment... still using plastic bags but offer 1 baht per bag to help the clean-up effort!
JUST BAN PLASTIC BAGS !!!!!!!

8 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Typical Thai over-reaction and extremism: from masses of bags for every straw, blade of grass and microscopic item of purchase - to no bags at all.

It's ridiculous. 

This is NOT customer service by any stretch of the imagination

There should be biodegradablei bags provided free of charge - or, alternatively, charge 5 baht per bag. But to give no bags at all is idiotic (and I find to my chagrin that many shops have already started, overnight, doing this - so that one has to constantly carry bags around with one - if one does not have a car - in case one wants to go shopping somewhere). 

It's all ridiculous, extremist, over-the-top nonsense (like banning smoking on beaches - and I am not a smoker!).

But a good whiner.... go get a cloth bag what's the problem?

1 minute ago, hotchilli said:

But a good whiner.... go get a cloth bag what's the problem?

Having to carry a bag around with you everywhere you go is the problem. Not all of us have cars (remember the environment???).

Banning plastic bags is fine and good - but replace them with biodegradable alternatives. That is called 'customer service'.

5 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Having to carry a bag around with you everywhere you go is the problem. Not all of us have cars (remember the environment???).

Banning plastic bags is fine and good - but replace them with biodegradable alternatives. That is called 'customer service'.

I do remember the environment....
I don't have a car
I don't have a motorcycle
I do have a bicycle and a cloth bag, which easily fits in the front basket when full !

22 minutes ago, Eligius said:

one has to constantly carry bags around with one

I've noticed that the so called man bags are rather popular, no idea what they use them for though.

Edited September 25, 20196 yr by Vacuum

Who on TV wants to form a company to invest in development of a range of bamboo containers for takeaway food? 

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

In the UK , ALL shops have banned plastic bags

No they haven't. There's a 5 p charge on them, which has led to a 85 % reduction in usage, but they're not banned. Still too many bags being wasted, even in UK, but at least public awareness is much higher now and people are actively talking about solutions.

 

1 hour ago, glennb6 said:

typical govt involvement with the encouragement of environmental wackos. go ahead and try that at Tesco-Lotus... I'll have a cart full of groceries run up, and ask where are the plastic bags before paying. Mi Mee Sir.... Ooops sorry, Mi Mee plastic bag eh? Pom Mi Mee ngern, bye bye, and good luck putting all those groceries back on the shelves.

It has to start somewhere and i see it doesn't start with you . Maybe something should happen to you involving a plastic bag maybe one on you windshield of your car or on your motocycle helmet shield and then having an acc.....    every little bit helps if its going on like this there will be no more sollution in the future . Sorry for my bluntness but i dont like people who dont give a s... about this problem because it's a serious one .

4 hours ago, lujanit said:

My local HomePro no longer gives out plastic bags and the local Villa Supermarket activity discourages there use.

yeah I watch people struggling to carry their stuff  out when they could  provide  paper  ones at  Home  pro

1 hour ago, zydeco said:

I've already done that at Tops, when I got caught in one of their plastic free shopping days and there was no warning in the store. I put my things on the conveyor. The woman started running it through the cash register and simply dumping items by the side. I said, where's the bag. She said, no bag. I just walked away.

Wow your a real hero , a real bad ass same as glennb6 those are the most selfish and stupid posts i have read in a while . 

with the new hemp laws I'm very surprised someone hasn't produced a Thai manufactured hemp made shopping bag, could be adorned with a nice leaf picture with Thailand written on it. I would buy 5 because they're almost indestructible, somebody could make a mint..

12 hours ago, plachon said:

No they haven't. There's a 5 p charge on them, which has led to a 85 % reduction in usage, but they're not banned. Still too many bags being wasted, even in UK, but at least public awareness is much higher now and people are actively talking about solutions.

 

I did mean the light disposable plastic bags  , the heavy duty  plastic bags for sale (5-15 P) are reusable and  supposed to be used again when you next go shopping 

1 hour ago, Grumpy Old Man said:

My local HomePro also no longer gives out plastic bags as I found out after turning up at the checkout with approximately thirty small items from packets of screws, plugs and glue Etc. . . . . Amazing how they can find a bag when you start to walk away leaving everything at checkout because you don't have a bag of your own. . . . 

 

Every 7/11 I know double bag everything and add two plastic straws just incase. . . .

 

 

Well done grumpy , you well knowing you going to purchase so many small items could have brought your own bag . Ok maybe do it in the future just to help out a bit , if not you will be grumpy the rest of your life in a lot af situations . Just try to help out a bit . I  situations like this realy every little bit helps ad if everybody (ok i will not be dreaming let's keep it at a lot of people) will be doing the same thing it does help i can assure you . 

2 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Expect civil war at 7/11 stores....

Yes indeed, and bulk purchases left on the counter and not paid for, when no means of carrying them is offered!